Affordable housing & rent stability
Consistent priorityKeeping housing affordable and stable through new affordable units, rent relief, vouchers and tenant legal help.
Residents consistently ask for more truly affordable homes, help paying rent, limits on rent increases, and housing support for young people.
Theme grouped and summary written with AI from this theme's resident ideas.
202 ideas across three cycles
| Cycle | Ideas | Share of all ideas | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | 73 | 6.0% | 6 of 20 |
| 2025–26 | 60 | 5.0% | 6 of 20 |
| 2026–27 | 69 | 5.2% | 7 of 20 |
Needs that keep coming back
More affordable housing
Residents ask the City to build and fund more housing that low-income and working families can actually afford, including units for very low incomes.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Rent assistance and vouchers
Residents ask for rent help, emergency assistance and more City housing vouchers to keep people housed and prevent homelessness.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Rent control or limits on rent increases
Residents ask for rent control, caps or stabilization so long-time residents are not priced out of their neighborhoods.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Housing help for young people
Residents ask for vouchers, rent help and low-cost housing for teens and young adults who lack stable housing.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26, 2026–27
Tenant legal help and eviction prevention
Residents ask for lawyers, tenant-rights education and organizing support to help renters facing eviction or unfair landlords.
Raised in 2024–25, 2025–26
2024–25
Many ideas called for funding eviction defense and tenant legal aid, especially City Life/Vida Urbana, alongside move-in cost help, vouchers and rent control.
2025–26
Ideas were mostly broad calls for more affordable housing and lower rents, with new worries about federal Section 8 cuts and a shrinking RAFT emergency fund.
2026–27
Many entries were short, general mentions of housing, often paired with food or health, plus specific asks for rent help regardless of immigration status and for youth and single-parent support.
New in 2026–27
New or growing asks include rent help regardless of immigration status, a rent fund for immigrant households facing eviction after detention or deportation, and help with Section 8 and housing recertification.
Funding so far
The winning youth rental assistance pilot and the flexible housing stability fund address the recurring asks for rent help and youth housing support, but no winning project yet addresses new affordable housing construction, rent limits or tenant legal help.
Projects are linked to themes by matching each project's description to the themes; this is not an official City classification.
Rental Assistance for Boston Youth
2024–25 · $200,000
This proposal will fund a pilot rental assistance program for Boston residents between the ages of 16-24 to stabilize their housing situation.
Bridging the Gap: Assistance for Housing Stability
2025–26 · $200,000 · related theme
This proposal establishes a flexible funding pool to help Boston residents at risk of or experiencing homelessness to secure or maintain housing.
Departments that often lead this work
- Mayor's Office of Housing
Suggested with AI; not an official assignment of responsibility.
Ideas in Affordable housing & rent stability
202 ideas
2024–25: 73 · 2025–26: 60 · 2026–27: 69
- Affordable downtown apartments for working-class workersResident asks for downtown apartments to be available and affordable to working-class people who work downtown, for class and racial equity.2024–25City-wide
- Redesign Fields Corner shopping plaza for housing and walkabilityResident asks to redesign a shopping plaza near Fields Corner station to add housing, improve walkability and make better use of parking land to help local businesses.2024–25Dorchester
- Move-in cost help and year-round youth jobsResident asks for help with apartment deposits, first month's rent and moving costs, plus a year-round youth jobs program, to expand housing access and economic opportunity for lower-income communities of color.2024–25City-wide
- Community center and affordable housing on abandoned siteResident asks to turn an abandoned space into a community center and affordable housing.2024–25Mission Hill
- Affordable condos for current residents in Dorchester, Roxbury, MattapanUse new state housing money to build affordable condos (about $150K for 2BR) for current residents of Dorchester, Roxbury and Mattapan, preventing gentrification.2024–25City-wide
- Home energy audits and upgrades for low-income residentsFund more home energy audits, efficiency upgrades, and asbestos and mold removal for low-income residents, since ABCD is underfunded, to lower bills and improve living conditions.2024–25City-wide
- Grants for first, last and security depositsResident asks for equity-based grants to cover move-in costs such as first, last and security deposits, and a shift of that burden toward landlords and realtors.2024–25City-wide
- Affordable housing lottery counseling programResident asks for a housing counseling program that gives personalized guidance to residents navigating affordable housing lotteries, increasing access to stable housing.2024–25City-wide
- More rental subsidies with equity criteriaResident asks for more rental subsidies for people unable to find affordable housing, so long-time residents are not forced out given Boston's high rents.2024–25City-wide
- Help residents seal eviction recordsResident asks for funding to help people apply to seal eviction records under the new law, including jobs and training for impacted residents to assist, plus outreach.2024–25City-wide
- Financial and housing support for transplant candidatesResident asks for financial and housing support for patients awaiting organ transplants to remove social barriers affecting eligibility for BIPOC and disabled groups.2024–25City-wide
- Expand City of Boston rental voucher programResident asks to fund more City of Boston Voucher Program rental vouchers using equity criteria, since waits for other vouchers are long and shelter stays are tightening.2024–25City-wide
- Financial and housing aid for transplant patientsResident asks for a program helping transplant patients with financial and housing barriers that make them ineligible for transplant or force choices between health and basic needs.2024–25City-wide
- Housing vouchers and rent-matching subsidy fundResident asks for housing vouchers for anyone, especially homeless and rent-burdened people, plus a matching fund to subsidize rents where market rates are charged.2024–25City-wide
- Accessible low-income housing for young adults with disabilitiesResident asks for low-income housing with accommodations for young adults with disabilities and their older parents or guardians, in a safe community near transportation.2024–25Roxbury
- Pilot housing vouchers for low-income youthResident proposes a pilot affordable housing voucher for youth up to 50% above the poverty line, so secure housing supports equity in schooling for youth of color.2024–25City-wide
- Develop affordable housing to reduce homelessnessResident asks for affordable housing projects to reduce homelessness and provide safe living conditions for low-income families.2024–25City-wide
- Murals informing residents of eviction rightsPaint murals in neighborhoods facing displacement showing people defending their rights and sharing eviction information and a legal aid hotline, supporting housing stability.2024–25City-wide
- Long-term cooperative affordable housing in trustCreate truly affordable, long-term cooperative housing held in trust for people earning under $50,000 a year in Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury.2024–25City-wide
- Fund community land trusts and 40-60% AMI housingFund community land trusts and development of housing affordable to people earning 40-60% of area median income, to stabilize communities of color.2024–25City-wide