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Office of Participatory BudgetingIdeas in Action

Affordable housing & rent stability

Consistent priority

Keeping 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

Ideas in this theme by cycle, with share of all ideas and rank among 20 themes
CycleIdeasRank
2024–25736 of 20
2025–26606 of 20
2026–27697 of 20

Needs that keep coming back

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.

All funded projects

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