Housing

Housing in the Boston area is a challenging topic. Market-rate rents are very high, subsidies are limited, and landlords can be contentious. Knowing the system—or having a guide who does, available below—can be crucial to your success in finding and keeping housing. (Note that HomeStart and the Boston Housing Association [BHA] require valid ID in order to enter their buildings.)

Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD)
105 Chauncy Street, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02111 (You need an ID to enter this building.)

For support on housing contact the Housing and Homelessness Prevention Department
(617) 348-6347

  • Housing workshops
  • Stabilization for families transferring from shelter to permanent housing
  • Housing search assistance
  • Budgeting and financial management advice

Boston Housing Authority
52 Chauncy Street
Boston, MA  02111 (You need an ID to enter this building.)
(617) 988-4000

Many housing searches start here. BHA runs housing communities and oversees several voucher programs. Their application is long (as is the wait for housing), but other agencies such as HomeStart have people who can guide you through. The home page for the site has eligibility tools and a number of useful links.

Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA)
18 Tremont Street, Suite 401
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 742-0820

CHAPA’s the non-profit umbrella organization for affordable housing and community development activities throughout Massachusetts.

DHCD (Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development)
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 300
Boston, MA 02114
(617) 573-1100
Provides assistance and resources to promote safe, decent affordable housing opportunities.

HomeStart
105 Chauncy Street, Suite 502
Boston, MA 02111 (You need an ID to enter this building.)
617-542-0338

Eviction Prevention Hotline: 1-857-415-2900
Wednesday walk-ins:
3:00 PM – 4:45 PM

Eviction prevention, housing search, and stabilization.

HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development)
Boston Regional Office
Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. Federal Building
10 Causeway Street, 3rd Floor, Room 301
Boston, MA, 02222 (Metal detector must be passed to enter this building.)
(617) 994-8200

Provides information on rental assistance programs, homeownership assistance, foreclosure prevention, issues regarding homelessness, and/or filing a complaint. To search for subsidized apartments in Massachusetts, visit this link.

Metro Housing Boston (formerly MBHP)
1411 Tremont Street
Roxbury, MA 02120
(617) 859-0400

  • If you are applying for Section 8 (see link below), in addition to applying with your local housing authority you must also apply to one of the regional nonprofit housing agencies (such as MBHP). If you apply to one of these agencies (such as MBHP) your name will be placed on a statewide Section 8 waiting list maintained by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. This means that if you have applied with one regional agency (such as MBHP), you do not need to apply with another regional agency.
  • To apply with MBHP, download one or more of the Section 8 applications from the link below, and then original applications must be mailed or delivered to the MBHP office in person.
  • It is necessary to respond to updates from the Centralized Waiting List once you receive one via mail. The waiting list is updated and purged every 2 years to update contact information and remove those who are no longer interested.

Section 8 applications

Metro Housing Boston’s Housing Consumer Education Center
(617) 425-6700
Services to educate and assist tenants and the public, including information and referrals, brief counseling, eviction prevention, housing education and workshops, and emergency financial assistance.

NOTE: Metro Housing has temporarily suspended our Housing Consumer Education Center’s (HCEC) walk-in hours until further notice. This change was due to an unprecedented demand during the Housing Consumer Education Center’s walk-in days, making it difficult for Metro Housing staff to sufficiently meet the needs of our participants.

We are now only scheduling appointments through the Resource Line at 617-425-6700 or resourceline@MetroHousingBoston.org.

Metrolist (Boston Office of Housing Stability)
(617) 635-4200
Phone lines tend to have long wait times and people are encouraged to leave a message and someone will respond within 2 business days. Alternatively, contact metrolist@boston.gov

The Metrolist provides a centralized listing service of both rental and homeownership opportunities in the Metro Boston area, as well as housing information and counseling services.