HIGH DISPLACEMENT RISK
DORCHESTER
Dorchester is Boston's largest and most diverse neighborhood, and one of its most at risk. With large Black, Latino, Cape Verdean, and Vietnamese communities, Dorchester has seen intense investor activity and displacement pressure over the past decade. Post-eviction families face 20% higher material hardship and are often unable to afford basic necessities. Children in housing-insecure families are chronically absent from school at three times the rate of their peers. If you live in Dorchester and are facing housing instability, these resources are for you.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AS A RENTER IN MASSACHUSETTS
In Massachusetts, landlords must give 30 days written notice to raise rent for month-to-month tenants.
Evictions require a court process. A landlord cannot remove you, change your locks, or shut off utilities without going through Housing Court.
You have the right to a habitable home. Landlords are legally required to maintain heat, hot water, and safe living conditions under the Massachusetts Sanitary Code.
If you receive an eviction notice, you do not have to leave immediately. You have the right to contest it in court.
RESOURCES
Affordable housing development and tenant support in Dorchester.
Available in multiple languages including Cape Verdean Creole and Vietnamese.
Rental assistance and affordable housing connections across Greater Boston.
THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF EVICTION
Research shows that eviction doesn't just affect housing. A Yale University study found that eviction reduces a child's likelihood of graduating high school by 12.5%. Workers who have experienced eviction face a 51% higher risk of job loss. Evicted families are forced to spend even more of their income on housing afterward — locking them into a cycle that is nearly impossible to escape. One eviction triggers a chain reaction across every part of a family's life. That is why prevention and education matter.