Suffolk Law Takes on Housing Crisis with New Center for Housing Justice & Policy

Groundbreaking initiative aims to address challenges of the housing crisis
Suffolk Law announced the launch of the Center for Housing Justice & Policy (CHJP), a groundbreaking initiative aimed at addressing the challenges of the multifaceted housing crisis. CHJP aims to tackle a wide range of housing issues, from affordability and accessibility to environmental sustainability, housing discrimination, and community development.

"The young people and service workers who make the economy thrive cannot afford sky-high home and rental prices," says CHJP director and Suffolk Law Practitioner in Residence, Jamie Langowski. "The Center will explore comprehensive solutions to make affordable housing a reality for a greater portion of the population."

In response to the passage of complex housing legislation in Massachusetts, including the MBTA Communities Act and the Affordable Homes Act, the Center's experts will offer in-depth analysis and promote policies designed to expand affordable housing supply.

 

A Timely Response to a National Crisis


The establishment of the CHJP comes at a crucial time, positioning Suffolk Law and its students at the forefront of tackling the affordable, fair, and safe housing crisis. In 2023, homelessness surged to its highest level on record according to federal data. In 2024, a Massachusetts minimum wage worker would need to work 98 hours a week to afford a modest 1-bedroom rental home at fair market rent. The housing crisis has far-reaching impacts on health, education, safety, and economic opportunity across the U.S.

"The decision to launch a Center reflects the natural evolution of Suffolk's long-standing engagement in housing issues," said the Center's academic director Suffolk Law Professor Emeritus William Berman. "We'll now be able to address a much broader spectrum of issues related to fair, accessible, and affordable housing. All the while, we'll be educating our law students to address the most pressing legal and policy issues related to housing."

CHJP aims to tackle a wide range of housing issues and inform future policy development through empirical research, education, community outreach, and advocacy. Key focus areas will include:

  • Affordable housing construction, preservation, and innovative financing models
  • Exclusionary zoning reform and equitable urban development strategies
  • The intersection of environmental regulation, affordable housing, and environmental justice
  • Housing discrimination testing, tenant rights, and eviction prevention
  • Community-driven development and homelessness prevention strategies

Through its comprehensive approach, CHJP aims to drive meaningful change in housing policy and practice, working towards a future where safe, affordable, and equitable housing is accessible to all.

Building on a Strong Foundation

CHJP builds on the 12-year legacy of Suffolk Law's Housing Discrimination Testing Program (HDTP), one of only two university-based housing testing programs in the nation. While expanding its scope, the Center will continue to combat discrimination and promote fair housing practices.

In its 2020 study, HDTP found that housing providers showed Suffolk's Black undercover testers about half the number of apartments they showed to Suffolk's white testers, with evidence of race discrimination in 71% of the cases. The study also found low-income Section 8 voucher holders faced discrimination 86% of the time.

To date, Suffolk Law's housing advocacy efforts have:

  • Coordinated more than 1,300 undercover housing discrimination tests
  • Provided legal representation to hundreds of victims of housing discrimination
  • Helped scores of families stay in their homes and improved living conditions for many others
  • Led a consortium of housing advocates in Massachusetts to create a state-wide public education campaign about voucher discrimination
  • Secured more than $6 million in grant funding since 2012 from organizations including the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City of Boston, the Boston Foundation, and the WestMetro Home Consortium
  • Trained thousands of people on their housing rights
  • Prepared scores of Suffolk Law graduates who have gone on to serve as fair housing advocates, civil rights lawyers, and legal services providers