The Tenant Advocacy Project (TAP) is closed for intake, advice or referrals.  TAP will reopen in the fall of 2024.   In the late summer, we will update this website with a specific date of reopening.  We will also provide the Eastern Region Legal Intake (ERLI) with reopening information.

Below are other resources which may provide some assistance to you on matters such as landlord/tenant issues, tenant rights, rent increases, eviction (Court cases), foreclosure, security concerns, landlord/tenant mediation, emergency rental assistance.  Some of these programs might have limited capacity and might not be open for intake at this time.

You will find more self-help resources here:  https://clinics.law.harvard.edu/tap/self-help-materials/

• Harvard Legal Aid Bureau:  for Eviction/Housing Court cases. 617-495-4408.
• Harvard Housing Clinic:  for Eviction/Housing Court cases.  617-522-3003.
• Eastern Region Legal Intake (ERLI) at 617-603-1700 to ask if that agency can provide you with advice or a referral.
• City Life/Vida Urbana is another resource where tenants can learn about rights and talk to an attorney regarding rent increases, privacy/landlord issues, substandard conditions, security concerns and foreclosure issues.  They hold weekly meetings where you can meet with a housing lawyer for free. They also organize community-wide action on housing. You can call their hotline at 617-934-5006. Currently, their weekly meetings are on Zoom. You can call in by phone to 929-205-6099 (Meeting ID: 662 752 7555), or call their hotline to receive the Zoom link.
• The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has a helpline, and may be able to answer your questions about landlord/tenant matters.  The helpline is staffed Mondays through Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  The number is 617-727-8400.
• Homestart:  Eviction Prevention:  617-542-0338.
• Harvard Mediation Program:  for landlord/tenant mediation. 617-495-1854.
• Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation provides services in Dorchester. Their programs include eviction prevention, financial coaching, health and wellness, and other community-building programs. You can call them at 617-825-4224.
• ABCD Department of Housing and Homelessness Prevention provides one-on-one counseling around tenant rights, eviction prevention, landlord-tenant mediation, and budget management. You can reach them at 617-348-6347 or housing@bostonabcd.org. For information about pandemic-related rental assistance, call 617-348-6329 or email directrelief@bostonabcd.org.
• The Jewish Family & Children’s Service (781-693-1388) may be able to provide emergency financial assistance. (You do not have to be Jewish to qualify.)
  The Salvation Army also provides emergency rent assistance. The number for the South End location is 617-536-5260. (Their response is slower because of the pandemic, so you may need to keep calling.)
• The City of Boston’s Office of Housing Stability has a housing clinic that can provide advice regarding back rent, evictions, landlord conflicts, and housing searches. Currently, their clinic is virtual. To get information, go to https://www.boston.gov/departments/neighborhood-development/office-housing-stability and click on the link that says “Complete our online form.”
• A “self-help” option is the Mass Legal Services Finder.  You can search the website based on your housing matter: www.masslegalservices.org/findlegalaid.