We work to eliminate illegal housing discrimination.
MFHC provides free legal services to those who have experienced housing discrimination, in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden, and Worcester counties.
Facing Housing Discrimination?
If you believe you have experienced housing discrimination, please contact us.
If you believe you were discriminated against, you can fill out an intake form online.
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Make a Difference
We provide training on fair housing to organizations and individuals.
View our top accomplishments of 2019.
March 24, 2020
lead paint“Unfortunately, this section of the Lead Law — which was intended to protect families with children under age six — has harmed them instead,” the lawsuit alleges. “It incentivizes landlords to violate the law: either by refusing to rent to these families, by imposing different terms and conditions on these families, or by refusing to delead their properties before renting to these families, who are unjustly forced to choose between housing and the health of their children.”
November 26, 2019
lead paintOn Nov. 20, 2019, we filed a complaint in federal court to challenge the discriminatory terms of the lead law that requires property owners to engage in lead abatement only when a child under age six resides in a unit. This has caused massive housing discrimination against families with children under age six and failed to achieve significant deleading of the pre-1978 housing market. According to state agencies, since the law was passed in 1971, only ~ 10 percent of pre-1978 housing has undergone any deleading activity, leaving children at risk of lead poisoning in 1.8 million dwellings. Our goal is to have the legislature amend the Lead Law to remove the discriminatory provision and replace it with a nondiscriminatory policy that will achieve universal preventive deleading and finally end childhood lead poisoning in Massachusetts.
November 22, 2019
October NewsletterCheck out our recent newsletter for Domestic Violence Awareness Month, featuring an interview with Carmen Nieves, executive director of Womanshelter/Compañeras!
October 29, 2019
NewsletterFeatures an update on a recent case and an interview with an AmeriCorps Advocate.
September 11, 2019
recoveryMFHC Legal Director, Ashley Grant, spoke in support of a group home at Tuesday's Holyoke City Council meeting, saying discrimination against group homes violates the Fair Housing Act, which protects people with disabilities, including people in recovery. She also mentioned research that shows that there is no decrease to surrounding property values with the introduction of a group home, and that group homes can be successfully integrated into the community.
June 19, 2019