Evictions in Boston: The Disproportionate Effects of Forced Moves on Communities of Color

Cover image of Evictions in Boston report depicting a satellite image of Boston with small bright \

Released in June 2020, this report is a collaboration between researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the non-profit organization City Life/Vida Urbana. This report provides rigorous research, systematically analyzing who faces evictions in Boston.

Download this report to explore findings such as:

  • Over 2/3 (70%) of market-rate eviction filings are in census tracts where the majority of residents are people of color (even though only about half of city’s rental housing is in these areas).
  • Over 1/3 (37%) of market-rate eviction filings occur in neighborhoods in which a majority of residents are Black (though only 18% of rental housing is in these neighborhoods).
  • Market-rate eviction filings are more likely to occur in census tracts where there’s a larger share of Black renters, controlling for other variables in predictive models, such as median household income.
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic and before the evictions moratorium, over 3/4 (78%) of all evictions filed in Boston were in census tracts where the majority of residents are people of color.

Get the report

Enter your info below to download the full 83 page report.

Want just the basics?

The Executive Summary has the most important findings. Download the Executive Summary (PDF, 7 pages)

An image of the opening spread of the Executive Summary with a chart showing the disparate impact of evictions on Census tracts that are majority Black and POC

Join the Press Webinar & Report Release

When: Monday, June 29th from 1–2 PM
Where: Register at https://homesforall.me/evictionweb

On Monday, June 29th City Life/Vida Urbana will be releasing their report on the impact of evictions on communities of color in Boston. Join us to learn more about their findings & hear from organizers across the country about how they are seeing evictions used to displace communities of color.

We'll be joined by organizers at Jane Place Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative, Housing Justice League and BASTA Austin to find out what they are doing to fight back against evictions targeting communities of color & what work is happening on the ground to brace for a wave of mass evictions as moratoriums across the county come to an end.

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

Spanish interpretation will be provided.

Habrá interpretación simultanea al español.

Línea Para Hispanohablantes
Número: 1 646 558 8656 (US Toll)
Código: 989-000-9035