> In November 2010, a friend had someone who worked in the administration of Hebrew Senior Life call Carolyn and Dorothy Gay. They both refused to waive the fee.
> In December 2010, I spoke to a case manager at Brookline Housing Authority. She spoke to Dorothy Gay, the Director at the time, who agreed to have me placed on the waiting list for a one-bedroom unit, and told her I could expect to wait about six months for my name to come to the top. She also informed the case worker that the $5,000 turnover fee applied only to market rate tenants, not to Section 8 tenants. Dorothy declined to comment about Carolyn’s earlier insistence that I pay the fee, and avoided discussion of it afterward.
> Over the next several weeks, I twice approached Susan, the Leasing Manager, to ask if Dorothy had spoken to her about placing me on the waiting list, and was told she hadn’t. I informed her that Dorothy had told the BHA I could have a one-bedroom apartment, and was supposed to have told her to place me on the waiting list. Her disapproval was apparent; she told me, “We NEVER do this”, which was obviously untrue, as they had a policy in place of charging $5,000 to do it. She told me she’d speak to Dorothy about it. I never received a reply from either of them.
> At that point, lacking both other options and funds, I consulted an attorney whom a friend had asked to take on the matter. In March 2011, the lawyer and I met with Dorothy. Throughout the meeting, she was condescending and disinterested. It was clear she had no understanding of the situation nor did she wish to have any. She had no interest in discussing events that had led to that point; she simply wanted the meeting over. She offered me another studio and agreed to place me on the waiting list for a one-bedroom apartment, but made it clear it was merely a formality and that I would be on the list indefinitely. The lawyer declined to address either this issue or the issue of her employees’ former duplicity. I subsequently declined the studio apartment, as it was obvious that Dorothy was offering me the unit not to transition me into a one-bedroom, but to avoid having to give me one. I knew I’d have to continue to pursue it and that her response would be: “We gave you another apartment; what more do you want?” I felt it was in my best interest not to place myself in that position.
> The only thing that came out of the meeting that was even potentially in my interest was that Dorothy agreed to give me a letter stating that I was on the waiting list for a one-bedroom unit. I felt it was a meaningless gesture as Dorothy had communicated to me that I would be on the list indefinitely, but in any case, the letter never materialized.
> A few weeks after this meeting, an incident occurred in which H. was running up and down the hall at 10:00 PM, as had been his custom for the four and a half years I’d been living here. I was tired and exasperated, and shouted at him through my door to go back into his apartment. The next day, Carolyn sent me a letter accusing me of presenting “agitated outbursts”, and informing me that I was in violation of my lease and that if it happened again, I’d be evicted. She made no attempt to ascertain my version of the story or to discuss the matter with me in any way.
> In April 2012, I began working with the Fair Housing Officer and Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for the Town of Brookline. He advised me to submit a written request to Dorothy for a one-bedroom apartment based upon the legal requirement for reasonable accommodation, along with doctor’s letters indicating the need for a move, and to copy him on the request and to let her know that he was involved. I did so, which resulted in two meetings with Dorothy in September and October of that year.
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