In the densely populated city of Waltham, families and individuals alike face a limited amount of available housing. Graduate students earning low incomes and immigrants speaking little English are among many residents treated unfairly by landlords. Faced with discrimination when searching for housing, notices to quit and bed bug-infested apartments ignored by their landlords, residents struggle to find affordable housing where their rights as tenants are not abused.  

Founded in 2007 by Prof. Laura Goldin (AMST) and her community-engaged learning "Environmental Law and Policy" class, the Waltham Alliance to Create Housing Advocacy Clinic is a free drop-in service that was "designed primarily to assist with fair and safe housing issues," according to its website. The clinic is staffed exclusively by Brandeis students, who work closely with Goldin to learn how to run and supervise the work of the clinic. 

"The Housing Advocacy clinic is a go-to place for the residents of Waltham if they have a problem with their landlord [or] if they have any housing questions. We're the starting point [and] connect them with other resources available in the Waltham and greater Boston community," Stephanie Johnson '13 said. Johnson, a Politics major with a minor in Social Justice and Social Policy, began working as an advocate at the clinic during her first year at the University while taking Goldin'sclass. She is now working as one of three Brandeis WATCH Housing Advocacy Clinic coordinators this semester, along with Tyler Belanga '12 and Abigail Steinberg '12.

Located on Moody Street in Waltham, the clinic is open from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday and Thursday nights to help residents learn their rights as tenants and deal with a variety of housing-related issues. While many seek help from the clinic in their search for affordable housing, others look for guidance after being refused assistance from their landlords or receiving a notice to quit, the first step a landlord takes to regain possession of rental property.

 "A lot of times they'll come in and just don't really have knowledge of the law or what course of action they can take. … If someone has bed bugs in their apartment, they don't know that that's actually a specific law and the landlord has to do something about it," said Belanga, who first got involved with WATCH during his summer 2010 Justice Brandeis Semester, "Environmental Health and Justice."

While advocates at the clinic do not have formal legal degrees, students undergo training with Alan Minuskin, an associate clinical professor of law at Boston College Law School, on the legal aspects of their work. Using a book of basic Massachusetts housing laws as a resource, helping tenants is often as simple as showing them their legal rights.  

"[There is a] lot of discrimination that goes on, especially in Waltham, it seems like. People for some reason don't want tenants who are on Section A housing, … people who have children [or who] don't speak good English," Belanga said, adding that the number of available apartments in Waltham is currently extremely limited. 

The housing clinic helps residents write letters to landlords explaining their rights, in addition to preparing talking points for tenants about what to say and how to present themselves in order to be heard. Many use the clinic as their sole source of Internet access, where they are able to use Craigslist and search for affordable housing. Those who come with notices to quit are reassured by the clinic that they won't be kicked out right away and are connected to the Boston College Legal Assistant Bureau, a partner of WATCH, where they can find a lawyer. 

Graduate students, low-income families and homeless people compose only part of the diverse population which makes use of the housing clinic. "There is a large immigrant population. They speak little to no English, and they feel like they don't have a voice in a country that's not their own. … They don't know the laws and if they're being cheated out of something," Johnson said. 

Since a sizable portion of its clients are Haitian and Spanish-speaking people, the clinic keeps a University translator on staff each night to accommodate their clients in addition to the two coordinators and four JBS students who are present on a given night. 

Last year, WATCH also created a fund called the Emergency Funds Assistance Program, which provides grants to those in need of financial assistance when looking to purchase a house or pay their rent. Those who find housing but are unable to pay the extra $200 for the security deposit are able to apply for a grant to secure the house.  

"A lot of these people do have jobs but don't make quite enough. They might have something else coming up; … they might have just had a child and are out of work temporarily," Belanga said of the grant recipients. Applicants are chosen based on their potential to sustain housing payments.

"When it comes to funds, that's the most important thing," Belanga said. "It's not just giving it to a homeless couple who comes in and needs some money. It's got to be given to someone who is going to be able to use it to stay in an apartment." The WATCH Housing Advocacy Clinic also receives funding from Lend a Hand, an organization which works to "enhance the quality of life of our less fortunate youth with an emphasis on youth in transitional housing," according to its website.

Last April, Johnson and Belanga organized a 5K run on campus in order to raise funds for the housing clinic. While the event raised $2,500, it took only 3 months for the clinic to distribute the money, with so many Waltham residents in need of help. The plan, according to Belanga, is to hold the race again in the spring and raise even more money this year through a larger number of participants. 

In the meantime, the clinic has 20 student advocates working this semester as part of the Environmental Health and Justice JBS, happening for the first time during the academic year. The class students to visit the clinic at least eight times throughout the semester. 

"Once you start working there and meeting the people in Waltham and hearing their stories, you get fulfillment you can't get anywhere else," Johnson said.