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.
Contribute
Support the mission of the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center by donating. Your donation is 100% tax deductible.
Make a Difference
We provide training on fair housing to organizations and individuals.
MFHC's October 2020 Newsletter
October 30, 2020
covid19The Massachusetts Fair Housing Center has recently received CDBG funding from the city of Holyoke to help Holyoke residents who are facing housing issues due to COVID-19-related job loss or illness. Please spread the word about this program!
October 30, 2020
disparate impactLast night, a federal judge in Springfield, Massachusetts issued a nationwide Preliminary Injunction to prevent implementation of HUD’s new Disparate Impact Rule. The Court ruled that there was a likelihood of success on the merits of MFHC’s claim and that if the Rule were enacted it could cause irreparable harm to MFHC. Further, the Court observed that HUD’s new rule represented a “massive overhaul” of its 2013 Disparate Impact Rule and that HUD’s justifications for changing the rule were inadequate. We are immensely grateful for this ruling to preserve access to justice for all victims of housing policies that have a discriminatory effect. We also applaud our brilliant attorneys at Lawyers for Civil Rights and Anderson & Kreiger LLP for this stunning victory.
October 28, 2020
NewsletterProtect your right to housing and health during this global pandemic
July 9, 2020
NewsletterJune 5, 2020
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