Hey, there! Log in / Register

Connecticut religious order booting older women from apartment building it owns in the Fenway

NBC Boston reports on the women, all over 50, being evicted from the Charlesgate West building owned by the Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception in New Britain, CT.

Neighborhoods: 
Topics: 


Ad:


Like the job UHub is doing? Consider a contribution. Thanks!

Comments

but you are not likely to encounter a more fucked up new england town than new britain, ct.

up
Voting closed 0

There are so many "hold my beer" comebacks to that straight line - even considering only southwest Connecticut - that I can't possibly choose one.

up
Voting closed 0

can you explain more?

up
Voting closed 0

Explain which - the subset of dark humor which is the "hold my beer" joke, or my rating of New Britain?

up
Voting closed 0

The Globe once had an in-depth look at New England as a whole and found wide differences is quality of life between Mass an the northern states as opposed to tired, depressed, hopeless RI & CT.

up
Voting closed 1

I know of this place, but I've only heard of it in a context of shelter/temporary housing for women.

The NBC article doesn't make clear what the breakdown is on the composition of units/tenants (SRO/rooms/apartments, shelter/temp/term-lease), whether it's being applied to all of the tenants or only these women, and what time frame they've been given.

It'll be interesting to hear those details, and what's behind the change. Were I to speculate, I'd wonder if the Sisters were experiencing a long-term net reduction in numbers and were selling off this one building (or whatever their stake in it is) to secure funding for their other ministries in MA/CT/NY and/or retirement care for their own elderly sisters. Also, they simply might not have enough currently active sisters to remain involved in as many places as they have.

up
Voting closed 0

And I blame the order for not giving their side.

My gut feeling on the move is similar to yours. It could be that they are planning a sale, or it could be a case of reminding some tenants that temporary means just that. Either way, poor PR on their behalf.

up
Voting closed 0

IMAGE(https://elmercatdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/radionuns1935.jpg)

up
Voting closed 0

Sensationalist article fails to note:

Our Lady’s Guild House is a short-term residence for women who work in the Boston area and/or attend school or internship programs.

These older women likely overstayed their welcome and the Church got sick of the Guild House being abused for long term housing it wasn't intended to be.

FCDC also rents to students. So glass houses, stones, and all that too.

up
Voting closed 0

They all have rights as tenants and this is clearly age-related (meaning illegal).

up
Voting closed 0

AG's own link shows that. Here's the pricing structure:http://www.ourladysguildhouse.com/rooms/
They are evicting 'a dozen' out of one hundred thirty. But, it involves nuns and the Church, so let's try to smear them.

up
Voting closed 0

There’s always more than one side of the story and youve only heard from the tenants who are being evicted.

I’ve live at OLGH and their mission has always been a transitional home; not a shelter or a nursing home. The tenants over 50 just happened to be a coincidence since they obviously abused the nuns and their hospitality. Some of these tenants act like they run this building and boss us “younger” tenants around like they own the place making it uncomfortable.

The first floor consists of guest rooms for anyone that inquiries and Airbnb helps them generate some money for the constant repairs. Rent is still below market rent here and the tenants that have been there forever are still paying way below what it should be making it hard to sustain the building.

up
Voting closed 0

Take em to housing court, that’s what lol

up
Voting closed 0

On its website, Our Lady’s Guild House is described as "a short-term residence for woman who work in the Boston area and/or attend school or internship programs," and states "OLGH offers a wonderful and safe living space for a transitional period."

I wonder if this is the organization's longstanding mission, or if this is a new mission statement. Regardless, "women over 50 who've resided there for years or decades" doesn't seem to fit the mission.

up
Voting closed 0

...AirBNB? Really?

up
Voting closed 0

You do realize that it's actually a legal boarding house?

up
Voting closed 0

AirBNB is just a platform. You can advertise and rent via AirBNB and still maintain your rules and mission, the same way you would advertise on any other platform. You can't just assume that just because they're utilizing AirBNB they're not following their mission.

up
Voting closed 0

I first became aware of them at least five or six years ago, maybe even ten years. My wife and I were helping a friend (an older woman) and she stayed there for a few weeks/months. It very much fit the description than that you found on their website now.

up
Voting closed 0

To free up units for Airbnb!

up
Voting closed 0

for one of the top drug trafficking routes in country (metro NYC-metro Boston, and New England in general).

up
Voting closed 0

It's a contest, my fiftieth or his grave !

#keepeatinghotdogs

#metoo

up
Voting closed 0

Short-term description on the nun's website doesn't match up with their having had the same resident tenants there for years. Why the change now? Other than aging, what has changed with the women who live in the Guild House?

If, dear Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception, you are running a boarding house, don't hide under a charitable mission with tax-exempt status when you really are in business as a hotel ( AKA AirBnB.)

up
Voting closed 0