The Boston Tenants Coalition (BTC) is a coalition of grassroots tenant neighborhood groups, community development corporations, and homeless and advocacy organizations that promotes affordable housing in Boston, organized to defend and expand the rights of tenants, and to push city, state and federal government, as well as private industry to address the needs of low-income tenants. We operate from a core belief that more affordable housing needs to be both permanent and targeted to Boston’s low-income populations.

Current Campaigns:

  • Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH): We are training grassroots activists in the AFFH zoning process and rules, using residential development projects under AFFH review to train activists and groups to use the AFFH tools to identify community members who lack access to opportunity and address inequities in housing among protected class groups and build immediate housing equity and justice. Read more here.
  • Coalition for a Truly Affordable Boston (CTAB): BTC is the anchor organization for CTAB. CTAB formed in response to Boston’s skyrocketing housing costs and a growing gap between what’s considered “affordable” and what residents can actually pay. We bring together community members, housing advocates, and grassroots organizations to push our elected leaders for changes that prioritize true affordability over profit-driven development. 
  • Transfer Fee: BTC is a member of the LOHA Coalition. LOHA is a diverse group of community organizations, housing and planning agencies, municipalities and other groups that support legislation enabling municipalities to levy a transfer fee on high end real estate sales and use this money to create affordable housing in their communities.
  • Rent Control: Skyrocketing rents are displacing tenants and destabilizing communities. BTC is supporting Homes for All Mass in their campaign to repeal the ban on rent control and enable municipalities to enact local rent control ordinances to stabilize housing costs and prevent no-cause evictions.

Boston Displacement Mapping

The Boston displacement map explores more about the Boston housing crisis further and follows people’s stories about their displacement experiences.