HUD probes Boston DEI housing policies
HUD opened a civil-rights investigation on Dec. 11, 2025 into Boston’s housing practices, alleging the city used federal grant assistance for race-based preferences in violation of the Fair Housing Act and Title VI. The agency’s letter to the Mayor’s Office of Housing cites city documents that target outreach to Black and Latinx families and a goal that at least 65% of homeownership opportunities go to BIPOC households, as HUD Secretary Scott Turner vowed to bring Boston into compliance.
📌 Key Facts
- HUD announced a civil-rights investigation of Boston’s housing policies on Dec. 11, 2025.
- HUD alleges improper use of federal funds for race-based preferences, citing the Fair Housing Act and Title VI.
- Cited Boston materials include targeted homebuyer outreach to Black and Latinx families and a 65% BIPOC quota for homeownership opportunities.
📊 Relevant Data
In Boston, the population by race and ethnicity in 2023 is approximately 44.5% White, 20.3% Black, 18.9% Hispanic, and 9.7% Asian.
Boston Demographics | Current Massachusetts Census Data — massachusetts-demographics.com
In Massachusetts, the homeownership rate for Black households is significantly lower than for White households, with a gap of about 23 percentage points in Gateway Cities including areas like Boston as of 2025.
Nationally, the Black homeownership rate was 45.7% in 2023, compared to 74.3% for White households.
US moves backward amid steps to close racial gap in homeownership — boston.com
In Boston, people of color earn 31 cents on the dollar less than White workers as of 2025, up from 27 cents in 2023.
Greater Boston gender wage gap shrinks, racial wage gap grows — bostonglobe.com
A study found that an immigration influx equal to 1% of the local population caused about a 6% increase in rents and an 11% increase in house prices in municipalities.
Does Immigration Raise Housing Prices? — The Boyd Institute