these people look for young mothers in distress and provide as little assistance as possible then…read morecharge these families 50k-100k for a baby they have barely help the birth mother with anything through out the pregnancy I did find a good woman to adop my daughter but that was all god or luck they placed my child very hurriedly luckily I had a feeling of who I should choose but now 4 years later I wish I would've had the counseling they are supposed to provide cause I would of kept my daughter even if I say I'm ok with her being adopted these people are looking for young drug addicted mothers to give as little assistance they can and make 10s thousands of dollars fortheir babies

We have been so blessed by our experiences with this special group. We chose to adopt through AWL…read moreprimarily because of the support they provide to birth families, but have been enriched every day since by the support they continue to provide to all of us. Nancy and Amy are such amazing and caring individuals, and their generosity, candor, and love helped our family grow to include our children, as well as their amazing birth families. We have been blessed beyond measure. Thank you AWL!

I pick up my niece from NGCC twice a week and I wish there was a center like this around me for my…read morefamily. Every time I go in , it is so clean. Everyone at the front is friendly and helpful. They even helped me with questions for a childcare search in my area. They offer all meals in house and they do laundry! I don't pick up often but when I do I always feel welcome .

This review is specifically related to the Protective Services Program, which failed two times…read more The first time occurred in June. On Thursday, 6/20/24, a neighbor had a car accident. On Friday, 6/21, the car was still there, but no one could locate the neighbor, which was a deviation from that person's routine. Plus it was a very hot day. Initially another neighbor called the police, but they were understandably reluctant to break the door down and no one could reach the neighbor so I left a message when the Protective Services Program office was open. Eventually someone else was able to contact someone within the city government, who sent the police and fire department. They got in through the window and confirmed that the neighbor was not inside. Someone from the Protective Services Program called me to follow up because of emergency services' involvement. On Tuesday, 6/25/24, the Protective Services Program finally returned my call. The second time is ongoing. On 9/25/24, I called the Senior Legal Help Line to verbally file a report of elder abuse for my Mom to investigate how she suddenly became permanently disabled after staying at Windrose at Weymouth, an assisted living residence (ALR). They stated to wait 3-5 days before following up directly with the Protective Services Program, which had jurisdiction because Mom was living in Cambridge at the time of the filing. They never proactively contacted me with an update so either the Senior Legal Help Line misrepresented their obligation or they don't have to do their job. It only occurred to me to follow up as she was dying so I called and spoke to Isaiah Castillo, who stated that the the Protective Services Program referred it to DPH & gave me the phone number and case number. I stated that DPH does not handle ALRs. I called, & DPH confirmed that they did not have the case & did not have such a case number. I called Mr. Castillo back and asked him not to call me until he had something more concrete. He never did. Today I was instructed by an outside office to talk to the Director of Protective Services Keith Adams. He said that it was referred to DPH and the Ombudsman. I told him that I did not believe that the Protective Services Program referred it to DPH. I insisted that he call with me on the line to confirm, which he did. DPH confirmed that they had a case for my Mom, but it was not with Windrose at Weymouth. So his first answer was wrong. I emailed the Ombudsman, whom I knew. The Ombudsman called me immediately to say that he would not be the one to handle the referral, and referred me to go on Mass.gov to file a public records request. The Ombudsman was familiar with the state level supervisor of protective services and said that he would report how Somerville Cambridge Elder Services' Protective Services Program was incorrectly referring people to him. I called Kevin back with the information who was so cheery and unperturbed at being wrong about everything that if he was ever right, he probably would throw a party and put himself on the cover of Time Magazine as Person of the Year. In the end, he said that to protect the reporter of abuse, under MGL19A, people are not allowed to discuss the investigation even if it is completed. I am a lawyer, but this area is not my subject of expertise so I asked him if the law needed to be changed. On this point, he was silent. As the reporter of possible abuse, I do not feel protected. In the end, we are expected to trust that despite all evidence to the contrary, investigations are occurring and people are doing their job when they cannot prove it by knowing basic level of knowledge such as which agency does what and which forms to fill out. The only ones receiving protection are the investigators if they are not doing their job or the wrongdoers if they are abusing the elderly. Maybe people like Kevin are doing a great job, and he is just having a bad day, but if he is not, may he receive the quality of service that he and his agency offers. Mom died on 11/22/24 at 6:48 pm.

If you need assistance or any kind of help from this group, let me tell you, you are in big…read moretrouble. This is a very dangerous group. Run away as fast as you can - they will not help you, they have no staff, except "management," of course. They have lots of that! And expect nothing because you won't get it.

When you're in a tough spot this place makes you feel at home and will help you out even after…read moreleaving. they may have "rules" , but it's for your own safety and your child's safety as well.

Honestly i visit here once trying move in but i felt a very uneasy environment, There was so many…read morerules with very limited "freedom" made me feel comfortable at my previous location. I felt a very racist energy as a black women there wasn't rarely anyone i can relate to. There's this one Spanish girl who seems to control everything made me feel like i was getting judged. i felt like they were holding the shelter over my head as in if i don't do this or that then i get kicked out. I was getting weird looks by some of the staff members as if this wasn't my place to be. i felt really judged although you don't pay rent they made it seem like you owe them. If you like feeling judged and out of place and spoken down upon & have no other choice this is your place....

Super lengthy process! I was approved after an extensive period with a long application and…read moremultiple screenings/interviews. It's easier to get a job or apartment than this rescue shelter! Then, once I was ready to meet dogs, they told me to sign up for their Saturday adoption days online. You only get 30 minutes to choose what dog you like from just their photos or else you have to wait until the next two weeks to look again. They don't even update the website with the dogs they have available - all of which are pitbull mixes. When I asked about several dogs that had been on the website for a long time, they said he would need a backyard. As a single apartment tenant in Boston who has had 10+ years owning a dog actively walking him every day, I think this was ridiculous as so many people have dogs in Boston and take better care of them than some folks I know from my hometown. Isn't it better for a dog to go to a nice home for the rest of its life than have it be sheltered or move from foster to foster home? Why did you approve me then?

they are a fantastic organization! We've adopted two dogs from them with ease. We appreciated that…read morethey approve you before you start looking at dogs available to ensure a dog isn't already adopted by the time you are approved.

I knew some people who had used Good Shepard for their family member's home-based hospice care and…read morethey all praised the organization and expressed gratitude. So when my husband needed hospice care, I turned to Good Shepard. I expected that as a non-profit organization that their resources would be fully focused on caring for the patient and the family. My son (who took intermittent family leave) and I provided all the hands on care for my husband under the guidance of the hospice nurses. My husband told me that talking to his hospice nurse and her oversight made him feel less anxious. And he was very relieved that his pain/discomfort was managed so well. He had an assigned primary nurse M-F and weekend nurses visited as needed. We had frequent visits in the last few weeks. All our calls when things were difficult in the night were managed quickly and well. I highly recommend Good Shepard to other patients and families.

The greatest regret in my life was turning over my parent's care to Good Shepherd Community Care…read morefor in-home hospice "care." They made all kinds of promises to get our family to sign away Medicare benefits so that they could begin collecting fees and delivered on none. They made diagnoses based on scant information, told us we would direct decisions about care, then just plowed ahead with their own plans without communicating at all. Nursing care was burnt-out, depleted and lacking in compassion. Social work/grief counselors were inexperienced and unprofessional. Leadership was unresponsive and antagonistic. They facilitated our parents' demise and somehow, made the most difficult time imaginable markedly worse.

This is a great nonprofit organization that saves countless cats and tries to control cat…read morepopulations through TNR. They function with the support from other shelters, volunteers, and individuals like you. Without a physical shelter CRA depends on foster families and donations to operate.

Thank you Jaqueline of Charles River Alley Cats for rescuing…read morePickles, getting her vaccinated and checked out and in the safe hands of Gifford Cat Shelter. It is amazing to have a group of volunteers devoted to helping our furry friends in their time of need. We are so grateful to all of you. Beverly

Today's experience at Greyhound Friends was great. Why? Transparency and priorities. The staff's…read morepriority is on finding a good fit for both the dog and the person so that both are happy. I was honest about my lifestyle and wishes. From today's experience I can say that the staff will be honest about how well you and the available dogs match. They were very kind and supportive, understanding immediately the type/temperament that would be ideal. If you don't find your match right away, that's ok. Good things are worth waiting for!

Yesterday we took the drive to Hopkinton just to see the greyhounds and get a better feel for…read morethem/if they'd be a good match for us. We've been talking about a dog for a while now and my heart had been set on a greyhound for years. After recently moving into a house, we decided it was now or never (well, maybe not never). I was told Louise (the Director of Greyhound Friends) wasn't the most warm person in the world, and that was true, however she wasn't harsh at all. She listened to our needs and took that into consideration to help match us with the best dog. There was no rush and she let us walk/run and interact with them all. While we loved all of them, I knew instantly dog #4 was the one for us. Paperwork done, adoption fee paid, leash picked out and we were ready to go (with lots of reading and some food to take with us). Tabitha was calm and relaxed instantly in her new home. Louise helped us find the perfect match for us and I would recommend Greyhound Friends to anyone interested in adopting a greyhound.