Fair Housing Month Blog Series

Every year in April, we take time to celebrate the landmark passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act, prohibiting discrimination in the renting, selling and financing of housing. Fair housing ensures that everyone has equal access to housing without discrimination. The Cambridge Fair Housing Ordinance prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, disability, age, sexual orientation, relationship status, family structure, gender identity, marital status, military status, and source of income.

In celebration of National Fair Housing Month, we are sharing a series of blog posts highlighting common fair housing issues. This week, we’re focusing on national origin discrimination.

Cambridge is the proud home of families, students, and individuals from all different cultural backgrounds. The City of Cambridge has taken steps to ensure that the City remains a welcoming place for Cambridge residents, no matter their immigration status. Under the Cambridge Fair Housing Ordinance, housing providers can not deny someone housing because of their immigration status or country of origin. Fair housing laws protect every person in the United States, regardless of immigration status.

• A housing provider can not deny housing based on immigration status.
• A housing provider can not ask about citizenship or immigration status to determine where someone is from.

Although immigration status is not a protected class under the Fair Housing Ordinance, national origin is! What is “National Origin” discrimination?

• National Origin is defined as “relating to person's birthplace, ancestry, ethnicity, culture or language.”
• This means people cannot be denied equal opportunity because they or their family are from another country, because they have a name or accent associated with a national origin group, because they participate in certain customs associated with a national origin group, or because they are married to or associate with people of a certain national origin.
  
  

Examples: A landlord/housing provider can not:

• Refuse to rent to you because you or some of your family members do not speak English;
• Threaten to report you to immigration officials;
• Require you to get a cosigner because you are an immigrant, refugee from a particular country or because of your religion;
• Charge a different price or asks for additional documents because of a person’s national origin;
• Force you to choose an apartment near other people who are from the same country, speak the same language or are of the same religion as you;
• Fail to provide the same level of services or housing amenities because a tenant was born in another country.

Immigration Resources

The Commission on Immigrant Rights & Citizenship (CIRC) works to support Cambridge’s immigrant community. CIRC provides resources, organizes trainings and informational programs, and partners with other City departments and community providers. To support this work, the Immigrant Services Liaison conducts outreach across Cambridge, and meets regularly with service providers, immigrant groups, and individuals to inform them about the broad range of City and nonprofit resources available. CIRC often hosts Know Your Rights presentations to keep the local community informed about their rights and communicate federal immigration enforcement updates. If you’d like to contact CIRC, please email circ@cambridgema.gov or call (617) 349-4396. You can also visit https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/CommissionOnImmigrantRightsAndCitizenship.

Need help?

The Cambridge Human Rights Commission (CHRC) investigates discrimination complaints, assists with mediation, and collaborates with local community organizations to inform Cambridge residents of their fair housing rights. If you’d like to file a discrimination complaint with CHRC, you may visit our office at 689 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, call us at (617) 349-4396, or fill out an online intake form at https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/humanrightscommission/discriminationintakeform.

JOIN US: Community Celebration and Resource Fair

If you’d like to learn more about your housing rights and connect with local resources, please join us on May 9, 2026, from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M at the King Open School in Cambridge for a community event featuring City departments and local organizations offering information on housing, tenant protections, and available services. This event is free and open to all, with food, family-friendly activities, and entertainment provided.