Newton kicks off Fair Housing Listening Tour

Newton City Hall hosted the state’s first Fair Housing listening session on November 6, moved at the last minute to the City Council Chambers as the building prepared to host former Mayor Setti Warren’s wake later that afternoon. 

“It’s an unusually strange day in our city,” said Mayor Ruthanne Fuller.  “I am very grateful, though, that we’ve been given the privilege of hosting the state’s first listening session on fair housing.”

Fairer housing

Fuller highlighted ongoing projects such as the West Newton Armory redevelopment – a former state property sold to Newton for $1 – now being transformed into 100% affordable housing in partnership with Metro West Collaborative Development. 

Massachusetts Housing Secretary Ed Augustus said the Commonwealth continues to face serious housing challenges, calling the Newton event the first of 12 statewide sessions that will guide the new Office of Fair Housing. 

“As we confront the housing shortage, it’s essential that we lead with fair housing practices, especially as the federal government pulls back from their commitment to fair housing in general,” Augustus said. 

The Office of Fair Housing and its accompanying Fair Housing Trust Fund were created through the Affordable Homes Act to expand the state’s housing equity work. But since their inception just over a year ago, Augustus said he could not have foreseen the federal government turning “so sharply away” from fair-housing enforcement.

He also praised Newton’s progress on housing, noting it was one of the first communities to meet the requirements of the MBTA Communities Act and has now surpassed the state’s 10 percent affordable-housing benchmark. 

Augustus said the Trump administration has used the ongoing government shutdown as an excuse to lay off hundreds of employees at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). He added that the administration has also sought to fire more than 100 staff members from HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

“This is yet another example of the Trump administration rejecting common-sense fair-housing principles and allowing vulnerable people to be put at risk of discrimination and housing insecurity,” Augustus said.

He noted that earlier this year Governor Maura Healey signed the FY 2025 supplemental budget, which included $1 million in funding for the Fair Housing Trust Fund to support initiatives that promote fair housing and eliminate discrimination across the state.

Whitney Demetrius, the director of the Office of Fair Housing, said she wants to gather feedback from the community to better the work of the office. Demetrius invoked the late Lee Porter, known as the “mother of fair housing,” who once said, “Fair housing is fair living.”

“Where we live has so much to do with how you live and your ability to thrive,” Demetrius said. 

Caitlin Madden, executive director of Metro West Collaborative Development, said fair housing is central to her organization’s mission. 

Madden recounted stories her staff hears weekly: a mother whose landlord re-rents her apartment upon learning she uses a housing voucher, a senior ignored because of her accent, and a young family discouraged from applying because they have children.

“The result is the same, doors are closed where they should be open,” Madden said.

Andrew Espinosa, deputy chief of investigations for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), said the agency receives between 4,000 and 5,000 civil-rights complaints each year, about 20–25 percent of which involve housing. He warned that recent federal funding cuts and a lapse in MCAD’s long-standing HUD contract could hinder the state’s ability to dual-file discrimination cases.

“We’re still fighting to further fair housing for the people in the Commonwealth, and we hope that’s not going to change,” Espinosa said. 

Staisha Chavis, deputy chief of the Consumer Advocacy and Response Division of the Attorney General’s office, described a proactive approach to enforcing housing rights. 

“We’re not just here to respond to individual complaints,” she said. “We’re challenging systems and practices that perpetuate harm.”

The new “Know Your Rights” guide published by the AG’s office helps homeowners recognize and report discrimination in property valuations. 

“Fair appraisal matters,” Chavis said. “It impacts wealth building, access to loans, refinancing, and long-term financial stability.”

Breakout sessions

After splitting attendees into three groups, facilitators outlined recurring themes from participants: the need for stronger education around housing rights, faster response times for discrimination complaints, and more consistent enforcement statewide. 

Participants also cited zoning barriers and delays in processing discrimination claims as persistent challenges. Many said that without clearer guidance and accessible information, residents and landlords alike struggle to navigate their rights and responsibilities. 

Henry Korman, a housing attorney who facilitated one of the sessions, summarized one of the main concerns found among participants. 

“There’s a need for education for residents, homeowners, homebuyers, and others protected by fair housing laws, but also for landlords, sellers, and real estate agents,”  Korman said. 

Korman said attendees also pointed to slow resolution of complaints as a systemic weakness.

There was also interest in having the Office create a central resource hub for fair-housing materials to consolidate information for both tenants and landlords. 

Other recurring themes included zoning reform and legislative changes to allow cities more flexibility to diversify housing types. NIMBYism, the limited supply of multifamily housing, and the lack of larger family units were named as other major barriers.

More listening sessions to come

Korman told Fig City News the session marked the start for a “whole-of-government” approach that recognizes how housing connects to broader systems.

“It’s not just about equal access to housing,” Korman said, “but about addressing other conditions that affect equity.”

Korman said Newton was an appropriate launch point — for both its recent progress on affordable housing and its history of exclusion.

“Bringing fair housing to communities that have a history of exclusion,” he said. “The metropolitan region is very racially segregated, and Newton is a part of that.” 

Demetrius told Fig City News that the conversations felt optimistic and credited Metro West advocates for setting a strong example of regional collaboration.

“It was a success not just because folks showed up, but because folks showed up feeling hopeful, feeling hopefully heard after they left,” she said. 

She added that her office aims to frame fair housing as a shared mission across sectors.

“Fair housing work is good business,” Demetrius said. 

She hopes future sessions will draw more builders, advocates, and real-estate professionals to join the effort.

“If they see the work they are doing as fair housing, and put that at the forefront of their vision, then that is the path forward,” Demetrius said. 

See NewTV’s video of the session.