The Foreclosure Task Force emerged as a response to the wave of foreclosures that swept Boston neighborhoods starting in 2007. Our goal was to use our existing expertise in housing law to prevent post-foreclosure eviction through legal and political means.
To this end, we have partnered with City Life / Vida Urbana to contact and organize every tenant or former owner facing eviction as a result of foreclosure in Boston. We also started Project No One Leaves, which gives law students and activists an opportunity to go door-to-door in neighborhoods affected by foreclosure and inform tenants of their rights.
Throughout the difficult process of foreclosure and eviction, we stand with tenants and former owners every step of the way, assisting them in court, providing advice at community meetings, and working to give them time and resources to repurchase their property. The results of our multifaceted approach have been significant:
- In August 2010, Governor Deval Patrick signed into law the most comprehensive tenant protection statute in the nation, a statute drafted largely by FTF.
- In November 2010, we hosted anational conference on community responses to the foreclosure crisis, with attorneys and activists from over 18 states coming to Boston to learn about our model and exchange best practices.
- In May of 2011, we prepared an amicus brief on behalf of tenants for a major foreclosure case before the Supreme Judicial Court.
- Over the last six months, FTF members argued two cases before the Supreme Judicial Court that presented questions of first impression.
- In November 2011, we hosted a second national conference that drew more than 150 attorneys and activists from around the nation.
- Our work has been featured in the Huffington Post, the New York Times, PBS NewsHour, The Nation, and The Boston Globe.