Press Release  AG Campbell Awards More Than $500,000 To Eight Organizations Supporting Eviction Record Sealing And Access To Stable Housing

Boston — As part of her ongoing efforts to address the Commonwealth’s housing crisis, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today awarded more than $500,000 in grant funding to eight organizations across the Commonwealth supporting the implementation of Massachusetts’s eviction sealing law. The awards grant funding to organizations that will provide eviction sealing legal services, clinics, educational materials, and more to ensure eligible residents are able to seal their records and have an opportunity for a fresh start.

“A record of an eviction case, even if the case has been dismissed or was brought in retaliation for a tenant exercising their rights, can have devastating impacts on a person’s ability to obtain housing,” said AG Campbell. “I am proud to partner with these eight incredible organizations to support projects across the state helping residents seal their eviction records and open the door to stable housing for thousands of individuals.”

A record of an eviction case is a barrier that can have long-term impacts on someone's ability to secure affordable, stable housing. As soon as an eviction case is filed, a tenant has an eviction record even if the case was dismissed, filed on unlawful grounds, or occurred many years ago. Massachusetts’s new eviction sealing law protects tenants from being marked with an eviction record for life by providing a process for them to petition the court to seal certain records.

The AGO selected the following organizations to receive funding:   

• Community Legal Aid – Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester Counties ($75,000)

  Community Legal Aid’s (CLA) sealing project staff will oversee eviction record sealing, assist clients directly with sealings, organize sealing clinics with community partners, and conduct outreach to tenants and community partners. Additionally, the sealing project staff will collaborate with CLA’s CORI/Reentry Unit, which focuses on helping people with criminal records overcome barriers to housing, employment, and other opportunities, to host the sealing clinics.

  “Eviction records have presented almost insurmountable barriers for tenants seeking housing, even years after their eviction cases have been resolved. Cases that were wrongly brought, cases in which the tenants prevailed, and cases that the landlord agreed to dismiss all show up on tenants’ records and create obstacles far into the future. We are very grateful that this grant will enable CLA to dedicate staff to helping tenants seal their eviction records and, in so doing, open up the housing market to them and their families,” said Attorney Jonathan Maninna, CLA’s Executive Director. 

• Greater Boston Legal Services– Middlesex, Norfolk, and Suffolk Counties ($75,000)

  The Greater Boston Legal Services’ Eviction Sealing Project serves Boston and 31 surrounding cities/towns, focusing on helping vulnerable populations remove barriers by sealing eviction records. The project provides free legal assistance, conducts outreach, and offers comprehensive support through intake, screening, and legal services. Key objectives include sealing 250 eviction records, distributing educational resources, conducting eviction-sealing clinics, hosting outreach events, and serving 120 individuals, ultimately aiming to increase housing stability for marginalized individuals. 

  “We are thrilled to collaborate with the Attorney General’s Office on this much-needed initiative to promote fairness, compassion, and common sense in our real estate market. This grant presents an incredible opportunity for us to support clients who are being denied housing by prospective landlords solely because of a past eviction record, regardless of whether the tenant prevailed in the case, the case was ultimately dismissed, or how much time has passed since they went to court,” said Hed Ehrlich, Managing Attorney of the Housing Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services. 

• Justice Resource Institute, Statewide ($75,000)

  Justice Resource Institute’s (JRI) Health Law Institute is a statewide medical-legal partnership that views legal advocacy as a core HIV treatment-as-prevention strategy.  JRI will empower partners along the HIV care continuum to identify and refer patients with imminent housing searches so that JRI can screen those clients for sealable records and then seal any eligible cases. Additionally, JRI will collaborate with partners who administer mobile rental voucher waitlists, incorporating eviction sealing into their existing screening processes, so that individuals and families at the top of these waitlists can search for housing unencumbered by former eviction records. 

  “We are grateful to the Attorney General’s Office for their support in removing obstacles to safe and stable housing—a core health-related social need. We have long believed that our health justice mission is best served by meeting clients where they are, and this project is an exciting opportunity to bring our services to community members when and where they most need them. This funding will empower us to collaborate with housing search and advocacy programs so that individuals and families anticipating a housing search will be able to apply for housing opportunities under the fullest protection of the eviction sealing law,” said Staff Attorney Henry McDonald, JD/MPH. 

• Massachusetts Fair Housing Center, Inc. – Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire Counties (Approximately $55,000)

  The “Increasing Housing Opportunity Through Eviction Sealing” project operates across Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, Greenfield, and Pittsfield. Partnering with Springfield No One Leaves (SNOL), the program aims to address housing inequity by holding outreach events, distributing Know Your Rights materials, conducting eviction sealing clinics, and providing legal advice. The project targets communities with high eviction rates, with a specific focus on racial equity and housing access. The program aims to seal 300 eviction records, provide 1000 educational resources, hold 16 clinics, host 5 outreach events, and provide services to 300 individuals.  

  “As organizations who work to support tenants and champion civil rights, we know that eviction sealing is a critical tool to ensure access to housing opportunity,” said Nuri Sherif, Staff Attorney at the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center. 

  “Both MFHC and SNOL look forward to working jointly to ensure tenants in Western Massachusetts can take full advantage of the Commonwealth’s eviction sealing law. We are deeply thankful to the AGO for supporting our efforts,” said Rose Webster-Smith, Springfield No One Leaves Director.

• Massachusetts Law Reform Institute – Statewide ($25,000)

  The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute’s project will include updating, simplifying, and translating into seven-high priority languages SealMyEviction.org; developing outreach materials with legal services and community groups to support their eviction record sealing clinics; educating people about the new law; and continuing to make eviction record sealing trainings publicly available.

  “Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s investment to support the implementation of the new eviction record sealing law so that tenants can find a safe and affordable place speaks volumes about her commitment to housing stability for tenants in Massachusetts,” said Georgia Katsoulomitis, Executive Director of Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.

• Northeast Legal Aid – Essex and Middlesex Counties ($75,000)

  The Northeast Legal Aid Eviction Sealing Program serves 56 cities and towns in northeast Massachusetts, with offices in Lynn, Lawrence, Lowell, and Haverhill. Northeast Legal Aid works with communities of color, with significant outreach to Latinx and Cambodian populations.  The program employs a dedicated Eviction Record Sealing Working Group of 7 attorneys and 3 paralegals, which has already sealed over 200 individual eviction records and hosted three clinics. The program also recruits and supervises pro bono attorneys to assist clients both in-person and remotely. The program aims to expand its efforts by hosting four clinics, increasing outreach to unhoused and at-risk individuals, and providing culturally competent, language-appropriate services through community trainings and pop-up events. The project aims to seal 200 eviction records, provide 100 educational resources, hold 4 clinics and 3 outreach events, and serve a total of 500 individuals.  

• Suffolk University – Statewide (Approximately $74,000)

  Suffolk University proposes to provide eviction sealing clinics in collaboration with Metro Housing Boston to assess client eligibility for eviction sealing, prepare petitions and supporting documentation, submit documents using the e-filing system, provide guidance on next steps, and offer follow-up support. Suffolk University will partner with the Suffolk LIT Lab to enhance its statewide eviction sealing e-filing tool with a focus on optimizing usage by legal advocates who are assisting tenants by streamlining data entry, simplifying document generation, batching workflows for clinic settings, and improving usability. Suffolk University will also hold workshops and webinar for tenants and advocates to increase awareness of eviction sealing eligibility and distribution of educational materials.

  “The Center for Housing Justice & Policy commends the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office for its leadership in expanding access to eviction sealing and strengthening housing stability across the Commonwealth. By supporting community-based legal services and expanding outreach and education, the Eviction Sealing Grant Program will help ensure that more residents can exercise their right to seal eligible eviction records. The Center for Housing Justice & Policy strongly supports this effort to remove unnecessary barriers to promote fair, equitable access to housing across Massachusetts,” said Jamie R. Langowski, Executive Director of Suffolk Law’s Center for Housing Justice & Policy.  

• Volunteer Lawyers Project of the Boston Bar Association – Suffolk County ($75,000)

  The VLP Eviction Sealing Clinic is a legal service program focused on providing eviction record sealing support through in-person clinics in Suffolk County and statewide through its call center. The clinic serves diverse populations including communities of color, immigrant households, low-income families, seniors, disabled individuals, and domestic violence survivors. The program offers multilingual educational materials, community outreach, monthly eviction sealing clinics, and culturally responsive legal assistance through pro bono volunteers. The project aims to seal 85 records at 48 clinics, serving 250 individuals, and provide 1,000 educational resources over 10 outreach events.

From 1988-2018, more than one million eviction cases were filed in Massachusetts. Black renters in Massachusetts are, on average, 2.4 times more likely to have an eviction filed against them than white renters, despite making up only 11% of the renting population. Further, Black women are more likely to have eviction cases filed against them and subsequently dismissed, resulting in an eviction record even when the case is won. Lastly, women of color are also disproportionately vulnerable to eviction because of other forms of discrimination, including discrimination against families with children and domestic violence survivors.

This grant program was developed by Director Esme Caramello of the AGO’s Housing Affordability Unit, Senior Counselor Jamie Hoag, Senior Advisor for Economic Mobility and Opportunity Sherry Riva, and Grants Unit Director Nathan Gardner, and is managed by Grants Coordinator Anthony Zero and Grants Program Manager Allison Beaufort.

This grant is AG Campbell’s latest effort to expand access to affordable housing opportunities amidst a growing nationwide housing crisis. In January, AG Campbell filed a lawsuit to enforce the MBTA Communities law and ensure that every required municipality does their part to address the housing crisis by coming into compliance with the law. In 2024, AG Campbell launched the Housing Affordability Unit (HAU), which leverages the tools of the Office to expand the availability of housing, particularly affordable and multi-family housing, throughout the Commonwealth. The Eviction Sealing Grant Program delivers on HAU’s mission by reducing barriers to renting and expanding access to affordable, stable housing opportunities for more Massachusetts residents.

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