About

Cover image of Housing Justice is the Cure with a person at the front of a large march wearing a medical face covering holding a sign that says 'No nos moverán!'

Released in September 2021, this report is a collaboration between eviction researcher Benjamin Walker of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the non-profit organization City Life/Vida Urbana. This report investigates patterns of eviction during the Covid-19 pandemic, systematically analyzing who has faced evictions in Boston in this unprecedented and dangerous time.

Download this report to explore findings such as:

  • 7 in every 10 (70%) pandemic eviction filings occurred in census tracts where the majority of renters are people of color, even though less than half of all Boston rental housing (47%) is located in these neighborhoods

  • By contrast, only 30% of eviction filings occurred in tracts with majority white renter populations, even though 43% of all occupied Boston rental units are in these neighborhoods.

  • In the first year of COVID-19, the eviction filing rate was nearly 5 times greater in Boston census tracts where the share of Black residents is especially high than in tracts with high concentrations of white residents.
  • On average, landlords filed evictions at 2x the rate in neighborhoods with the highest rates of COVID-19 incidence than in neighborhoods with the lowest COVID-19 incidence rates.

Get the report

Enter your info below to download the full 40 page report.

Want just the basics?

The Executive Summary has the most important findings. Download the Executive Summary (PDF, 10 pages)

Join the Press Webinar & Report Release

When: Tuesday, September 21st, 2021, 10am
Where: On Zoom. Register for the event at here.

On Tuesday, September 21st, City Life/Vida Urbana will be releasing the groundbreaking report "Housing Justice Is The Cure: Evictions in Boston's Communities of Color during Covid-19".

We'll be joined by Boston renters who have faced eviction during Covid-19. We'll also hear from organizers about what families are doing to resist evictions in Boston's communities of color.

Speakers will be available for interviews upon request after the webinar.

Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Habrá interpretación simultanea al español.