Harsh federal policies could take a toll on the local housing market, as we explain in this year’s Greater Boston Housing Report Card. buff.ly/nWR2BCE

"At its best, Greater Boston is a welcoming region that draws strength from longtime residents and newcomers alike.

What are the benefits of building housing? buff.ly/NF8hGbY

"There are lots of intractable challenges within government. Building more housing isn't one of them... It should not be as hard as it is. buff.ly/NF8hGbY

The Special Topic section of the Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2025 looks at how the state's MBTA Communities law is doing at encouraging more housing density near commuter real stations. There is a huge amount of variation. buff.ly/NF8hGbY

Families' annual salaries would have to grow quickly to keep up with the cost of Greater Boston homes. To learn more, check out the Greater Boston Housing Report Card 2025. buff.ly/NF8hGbY

"Here's some historic data... going all the way back to the 1960s looking at building permits statewide, and the broad trend here is we've settled into a pattern of building permits that's far lower than what we were at historically." buff.ly/NF8hGbY

We're releasing the Greater Boston Housing Report card today. "As we look ahead, the question is no longer whether we need more housing—our data make that abundantly clear—but whether we can summon the civic will to act. buff.ly/NF8hGbY

Please join us on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., for the release of our report, "A Massachusetts Model for Medicaid Work Requirements," buff.ly/yiXHLSL, which is part of our Meeting the Moment series, a response to President Trump’s aggressive agenda for changing American life.

Please join us on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., in person or online, for the release of the 2025 Greater Boston Housing Report Card. buff.ly/Q8hGZHv We’re excited to have Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll join us. She will share a research presentation and her remarks.

Amy Dain once spent several years tracking down the number of housing permits issued in Greater Boston.

Counting the number of housing construction permits gives us a glimpse of how much housing could be built in the future.

To understand how many housing units might be built in the future, our new brief—“How many homes are we actually building?” buff.ly/8YLEGFn%E2%8... looks at recent trends in building permits.

Please join us on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., in person or online, for the release of the 2025 Greater Boston Housing Report Card. buff.ly/Q8hGZHv We’re excited to have Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll join us. She will share a research presentation and her remarks.

Greater Boston and Massachusetts both need more housing production to meet the demand for affordable places to live.

How much housing is being built in Greater Boston and across Massachusetts? Not nearly enough, according to our estimates. There’s a concerning decline in the number of housing permits, which are one indicator of how many housing units will be built in the future.

Despite its name, the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) makes ugly cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits, which threatens to increase the racial wealth gap.

One way that the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) undercuts wealth building among low-income families is by making what had been a temporary estate tax exemption of $15 million—up from $7 million—permanent.

While many wealthy families will become wealthier because of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), the new federal law could make the racial wealth gap even worse, as we explain in our new report, “Fading Beauty: How the One Big Beautiful Bill Could Widen Wealth Inequality.” buff.ly/qjS65ET

“Do apartment buildings really need two stairwells?” That’s the question The Boston Globe editorial page asks in the second installment of its series on reviewing housing regulations. buff.ly/Qzd9fvq

To keep up with local policy news, sign up for one—or both—of our newsletters! buff.ly/EeMKdJA

Compared to its municipal peers, Greater Boston has made progress on integration, as we explain in our report “Residential Segregation in Greater Boston: Shifting Patterns by Race and Income.” buff.ly/272tdjq

Our policy brief on SNAP benefits—”Meeting the Moment: SNAP Cuts and the Local Fallout”—made the news. buff.ly/3eocTFc

The editorial page of “The Boston Globe” has launched a series looking at how Massachusetts can “Roll back regulations to lower housing costs.” buff.ly/VzEIa4S

The city of Newton, Mass., took the concept of providing families with a "guaranteed income" (GI), and developed Newton Thrive, a program that's based on the appealing model of "Mobility Mentoring."

As we explain in our report, “Meeting the Moment: SNAP Cuts and the Local Fallout,” buff.ly/fe2bDXA the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB), signed into law by President Trump, makes concerning changes to SNAP, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Check out the three new resource summaries in our Racial Wealth Equity resource center: rwerc.org

Because of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) Act that President Trump signed into law, legal immigrants stand to lose access to SNAP, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as we explain in our report, “Meeting the Moment: SNAP Cuts and the Local Fallout.” bit.ly/3HPDCIL

Looming cuts to SNAP, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, will hit some Massachusetts communities harder than others, as we explain in our new report, “Meeting the Moment: SNAP Cuts and the Local Fallout.” bit.ly/3HPDCIL

Income segregation in the Boston area is growing, as we explain in our new report, “Residential Segregation in Greater Boston: Shifting Patterns by Race and Income.” buff.ly/ILWdE9A

In our new report, “Residential Segregation in Greater Boston: Shifting Patterns by Race and Income,”  buff.ly/3kuIeCk  we assess how groups interact in Greater Boston by looking at an “interaction index,” a measure of how likely it is...

In our new report, “Residential Segregation in Greater Boston: Shifting Patterns by Race and Income,”  buff.ly/3kuIeCk  we explore the growth of diversity at the municipal level and across ethnic groups.

In our new report that we’ve released today, “Residential Segregation in Greater Boston: Shifting Patterns by Race and Income,”  buff.ly/3kuIeCk  we look at the complex factors that separate ethnic and racial groups in and around Boston.

Among the successful efforts that we share in our report, “The Dignity Dividend: Lessons Learned from Guaranteed Income Pilots in Massachusetts,” buff.ly/fahMDpp is the Boston-based, Camp Harbor View Guaranteed Income Program. buff.ly/syoW0Xd

President Trump’s proposed and enacted policies pose a threat to housing and neighborhoods—and to the growth and stability of infrastructure such as transportation, sewers, roads, and sidewalks, as we note in our brief, “Meeting the Moment: Federal Housing Policies and Massachusetts.” bit.ly/3U3740o

Black men in Massachusetts earn significantly less than other men, regardless of their education level, as we explain in our policy brief, “From School to the Labor Market: Identifying Workforce Inequities for Black Men.” buff.ly/vrmrx0g

When there’s a vibrant economy and housing is abundant, most households can afford to buy a home. But as we explain in our brief, “Meeting the Moment: Federal Housing Policies and Massachusetts,” bit.ly/3U3740o many of the Trump administrations new proposals and policies threaten the economy...

ICYMI: TBF's President and CEO Lee Pelton was on Boston Public Radio this week sharing a glimpse of our efforts to mobilize our full range of impact tools to support our community as federal policies threaten the most vulnerable across our region. Listen to Tuesday's episode here: bit.ly/4lbLF07

While city and state policies have a substantial effect on housing policy, it’s crucial to pay attention to the many policy changes being made by the Trump administration that could impact the housing supply in Greater Boston and Massachusetts.

One fear about providing families with guaranteed incomes in the form of monthly payments is that many will stop working. While some families did reduce their work hours—in some cases to cut back on demanding manual labor—this fear was largely not borne out.

One key benefit of Chelsea Eats, a guaranteed income program launched during the pandemic, was a sharp drop in emergency room visits, as we explain in our report, “The Dignity Dividend: Lessons Learned from Guaranteed Income Pilots in Massachusetts,” buff.ly/fahMDpp

One American policy experiment that holds great promise for increasing economic stability is providing families in need with a guaranteed income (GI).

Guaranteed Income (GI) pilot programs have yielded many lessons about addressing economic instability. Our new report, “The Dignity Dividend: Lessons Learned from Guaranteed Income Pilots in Massachusetts,” buff.ly/7GhMTbL shares how Massachusetts can use these insights to move forward.

Guaranteed income (GI) programs give different amounts of money to help stabilize families facing economic challenges, as we explain in our report, “The Dignity Dividend: Lessons Learned from Guaranteed Income Pilots in Massachusetts,” buff.ly/7GhMTbL

Research finds that guaranteed Income programs have a number of benefits, as we explain in our “The Dignity Dividend: Lessons Learned from Guaranteed Income Pilots in Massachusetts,” buff.ly/7GhMTbL

Guaranteed Income programs use different funding sources and structures, including philanthropy, government funding, and public private partnerships. Programs also target different populations. And they use different payment structures.

Guaranteed Income (GI) programs have a number of benefits, yielding improvements in housing, food security, and health.

A number of recent guaranteed income (GI) programs that support families with monthly payments were designed with a research component to evaluate outcomes. Among the research questions: • How did cash payments affect employment? • How are the GI funds spent?

Join us THIS MORNING at 9:30 a.m., on Zoom, for the release event of “The Dignity Dividend: Lessons Learned from Guaranteed Income Pilots in Massachusetts,” buff.ly/PIVsMAp a special report co-authored by Boston Indicators and researchers at Children’s HealthWatch. buff.ly/IgAQeMs

Employment outcomes are inequitable for all men, but especially for Black men, as we explain in our brief, “From School to the Labor Market: Identifying Workforce Inequities for Black Men,” buff.ly/PJwWeYS