Fair Housing Month Blog Series
28/أبريل/2026
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The City Council passed amendments that added two new protected classes -- family structure and relationship status -- to our local ordinances.
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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 City Council’s amendments to the Cambridge Human Rights Ordinance and Cambridge Fair Housing Ordinance, which establish legal protection from discrimination for non-nuclear families and individuals involved in intimate personal relationships.
The Council passed amendments that added two new protected classes: family structure and relationship status, to our local ordinances. A protected class ensures that people have legal protection from discrimination based on certain aspects of their identity or lived experience.
Family Structure
In Cambridge, it is now illegal to discriminate against someone in housing, public accommodations, employment, or education, because of their family structure. This includes consensual non-monogamous or multi-partner families, multi-parent families, and multi-generational families.
Relationship Status
In Cambridge, it is now illegal to discriminate against someone in housing, public accommodations, employment, or education because of their relationship status. This includes a person’s actual or perceived involvement, or lack of involvement, in an intimate relationship. This can include relationships between two or more consenting adults that involve romantic, platonic, physical, or emotional intimacy.
It is now illegal for a housing provider to discriminate against someone because of their family structure or relationship status by refusing to rent/sell, requiring additional fees, limiting access to amenities or services. By expanding local protections, Cambridge continues to lead in creating laws that are responsive, forward looking, and rooted in fairness.
Join the Working Group!
You can also get involved by joining the New Protected Classes Working Group. The Human Rights Commission and the LGBTQ+ Commission have formed a working group to help publicize these new protections and engage the community around what makes these new protections so meaningful. The Working Group aims to form a partnership with the community and advance the City’s mission of antiracism, diversity, equity and inclusion in Cambridge. Working Group meetings are open to the public. If you’d like to join the group as a standing member, please contact Vannessa Carr at vcarr@cambridgema.gov.
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.
