- Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities
Boston — Today the Fair Housing Alliance of Massachusetts (FHAM) announced the launch of their 2024 media campaign to fight illegal voucher-based and other housing discrimination through legal services and education in partnership with the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC).
FHAM is undertaking a comprehensive media campaign that will include placement of public service announcements on social media, in print and online media, and on public transportation to raise awareness of housing discrimination and to encourage residents to take action.
“Right now, we have renters across the state looking to secure housing. It is critical that every resident with a housing voucher knows their rights and landlords of all kinds must understand that discrimination is illegal,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We are proud to be funding this new awareness campaign and to expand enforcement to crack down on illegal voucher discrimination in the housing market. With a major housing shortage, the rental market is challenging enough, and we are committed to pursuing every available avenue to alleviate pressure on residents.”
According to a recent study from Suffolk Law and the Boston Foundation, for people using a Section 8 voucher, which helps low-income families, the elderly, and people with disabilities afford rental housing in the private market, the chances of even touring an apartment were few and far between.
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The study showed that nearly 90% of undercover fair housing testers who indicated they were using a voucher faced discrimination: for example, being wrongly told there were no apartments available. Some brokers told testers outright that the owner was not accepting voucher participants.
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Agents showed Black testers about half the number of apartments shown to white testers and were far less likely to return Black testers’ calls—just 62% of the time versus 92% for white testers.
“A major priority for the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is to expand fair housing opportunities across the Commonwealth. This campaign will increase public awareness of discriminatory housing practices, including practices that limit opportunities for voucher holders. EOHLC wants to ensure that housing providers understand the law and their obligations, and that consumers are informed of their rights. This campaign is a critical component to achieving our goal of fair housing across the state,” said EOHLC Secretary Ed Augustus.
FHAM is a consortium of four non-profit organizations: Community Legal Aid (CLA); the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center (MFHC); SouthCoast Fair Housing (SCFH); and the Suffolk University Housing Discrimination Testing Program (HDTP), dedicated to fair housing advocacy and education throughout the Commonwealth. FHAM is funded by EOHLC.
The media campaign will focus on three pillars:
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Know Your Rights - Voucher discrimination is illegal in Massachusetts. There are no exemptions for voucher-based discrimination! It is illegal to tell a family with a voucher that a property won’t work for them because it won’t pass inspection. It is illegal for a landlord to say, “I don’t take Section 8.” If you have faced similar experiences, you have rights!
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Understand the Laws - The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in the rental, sale, and financing of housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (presence of children or pregnant people in the household), and disability. In addition, Massachusetts laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of receipt of public assistance (including use of a housing voucher), marital status, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, ancestry, genetic information, and children under the age of six in housing containing lead paint.
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Take Action - FHAM offers free services to people with vouchers facing housing discrimination throughout the state of Massachusetts. Through each of its four partners, FHAM can assist individuals and families facing discrimination through legal representation and advocacy.
Statements of Support:
"Every day our organizations speak to voucher holders across the state who struggle to find housing that will take their voucher. This funding is critical to enabling us to provide voucher holders with legal help to overcome discriminatory barriers and to use their voucher in the housing of their choice,” said Maureen St. Cyr, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center.
“The free legal assistance provided by FHAM has been a valuable source of help for the individuals and families we work with who have faced discrimination because of their vouchers,” said Katie Milton, Director of Civil Rights and Fair Housing at Metro Housing|Boston.
“This support from the Commonwealth is vital to FHAM’s work ensuring that voucher holders know their rights and are able to access housing of their choice,” said Ashley Grant, Director of Fair Housing Enforcement for HDTP. “We hope voucher holders will continue to reach out to us for legal help to increase the impact of our work.”
About FHAM
FHAM members offer legal help to individuals and families who have experienced housing discrimination. FHAM also engages in education about fair housing rights and obligations and investigates claims of discrimination. FHAM members represent clients with voucher discrimination lawsuits and in obtaining accommodations for disabilities. FHAM has assisted its clients in preventing evictions, recovering monetary compensation, and achieving other remedies for those who have experienced discrimination.
About the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities
The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) is charged with creating more homes in Massachusetts and lowering housing costs for residents. Formerly known as the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), HLC works with municipalities, local housing authorities, non-profit organizations, and development partners to provide affordable housing options, financial assistance, and other support to Massachusetts communities. The cabinet-level secretariat was created in 2023 by the Healey-Driscoll Administration.
About Suffolk University
Suffolk University, located in historic downtown Boston, provides students with experiential and transformational learning opportunities that begin in the center of Boston, reach across the globe, and lead to extraordinary outcomes for graduates. The University is driven by the power of education, inclusion, and engagement to change lives and positively impact communities. Suffolk University offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs in its College of Arts & Sciences, Sawyer Business School, and Law School.
For more information, or if you feel you may have experienced illegal housing discrimination, visit www.mafham.org, email info@mafham.org, or call 508-444-9332.
