We work to eliminate housing discrimination and promote open communities. TESTING: The FHCGB is the region's sole source of housing discrimination testing.
The Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston works to eliminate housing discrimination and promote open communities throughout the region. We challenge illegal discrimination through:
TRAINING: Our extensive expertise in the complexity of fair housing laws and practices makes the FHCGB a respected source of fair housing training. We provide training to housing associations, public agencies, realtors
, and housing search professionals. COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Discriminatory housing practices affect us all, limiting our experiences and affecting the region's economic well-being. The FHCGB promotes tools to prevent and respond to discrimination and guides local advocates in activities designed to make all of our communities welcoming places to live. Testing provides a credible picture of how and if discrimination occurs using a controlled method of documenting variations in the treatment of home seekers by housing providers. CASE ADVOCACY: The FHCGB fields hundreds of inquires annually from people who do not have the knowledge and/or means to advocate for themselves. We provide full case advocacy, including testing for proof of discrimination, representing complainants throughout HUD's or Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination's (MCAD's) processes, and securing pro bono legal counsel if litigation is required. PUBLIC POLICY ADVOCACY: The FHCGB collaborates with other housing, legal, civil rights, and community organizations to add fair housing expertise and promote equity in policy debates. We advocate for strong local, state, and federal housing laws and policies and work to ensure their effective implementation. HOUSING COUNSELING: The housing counseling program provides troubled borrowers with loan reinstatement assistance, including negotiating with lenders and the filing of fair lending complaints if discrimination is alleged. The program also offers classes in fair lending, predatory lending, and first time home buying. RESEARCH: To inform our advocacy, the FHCGB researches and documents the nature and extent of housing discrimination - including the fair housing impacts of public policies -- both on our own and with area universities.
