Tenants and landlords both give Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program good marks, but administrative hurdles pose a challenge.
Expanded client support could make the program shine.
New research from MassINC Polling Group and a coalition of nonprofit and civic partners finds that the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) is making a difference for tenants and landlords in the Commonwealth. Tenants say the program has helped provide economic stability for them and their families, while landlords appreciate the stable income and the opportunity to help their community. Still, both groups say there are opportunities for improvements that can help MRVP address housing affordability and availability. Rental vouchers don’t solve all problems. Many tenants report other financial challenges, and both tenants and landlords report administrative challenges with the program.
These are some of the major findings of Voices of Experience, a new report on MRVP by the Boston Foundation, MassINC Polling Group, United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, Metro Housing | Boston, The Regional Housing Network, BAMSI, and La Colaborativa. The report is being released at an event this morning at the Boston Foundation.
Click here to register or access the livestream.
MRVP is working well as a tool of housing stability
MRVP serves more than 10,700 low-income households across Massachusetts. Tenants in the program typically pay 30% of their gross income for rent and receive a voucher for the remainder. As of February 2025, 168,000 applicants are waiting for a spot in the program.
The report finds that both tenants and landlords report positive impressions of MRVP. Majorities of tenants report liking their current home (59%) and neighborhood (62%), and say that their home is in good condition (64%). For many, MRVP has helped them improve and stabilize their living arrangements. As one focus group participant put it: “I have working heat here. My last apartment, the heat didn’t work [well], and we were freezing, but I am grateful we [can] be warm.”
Tenants add that the benefits of stable, supportive housing extend beyond their living arrangements.. Majorities agree that the stability afforded by MRVP has helped with their children’s academic performance and their own employment, credit, savings, and their involvement in their community. For another focus group participant, MRVP helped to keep their family together: “My kids aren’t living in a shelter apartment. My kids are with me. I’m not in fear that my children are going to be taken by DCF because I can’t provide stable living.”
Meanwhile, 70% of landlords are satisfied with MRVP. Landlords highlight the stability the program provides: 81% say they appreciate the guaranteed, consistent rent payments from the vouchers. Half appreciate that the program lets them make a positive impact in the community, while 37% liked that MRVP tenants tend to stay longer in units. “A voucher holder, when they move into the unit, they tend to stay for a very long time,” explained one landlord. “Some of my tenants have been there for almost 10 years.”
Challenges persist
Despite their broad satisfaction with the program, both tenants and landlords reported challenges navigating the administrative requirements, including working and communicating with the local housing agencies that administer the program. Fully one-third of MRVP tenants say it took them four months or more to find an apartment. And many tenants say they are still having trouble making their portion of the rent, especially larger households and younger tenants. Tenants on both the low and high ends of the income scale report affordability challenges, on the high end because of the “cliff effect” of higher income sometimes triggering a loss of other public assistance. Tenants who say they have trouble making their rent are also more likely to report other problems, like being dissatisfied with their home and not feeling safe in their neighborhood.
Stakeholders recommendations
In response to the research findings, the group of housing stakeholders overseeing the project developed a set of recommendations for enhancing the MRVP program. These include:
● Codifying and expanding vouchers in state law
● Improving program operations to enhance accountability and communication
● More outreach and education to applicants, tenants, and landlords, and
● Creating pathways to economic mobility for MRVP participants.
Below are quotes from some of the stakeholders who contributed to the research project and report.
Soni Gupta, Associate Vice President for Programs, the Boston Foundation:
"This research highlights the Commonwealth's remarkable opportunity to build upon the successes of the MRVP program. By codifying and investing further in MRVP, the Commonwealth will have the opportunity to provide the benefits of stable housing to more residents, while creating a system that improves the experience for tenants and landlords alike."
Sonia Shah, Managing Director of MRVP & CoC, Metro Housing|Boston
"Hearing directly from participants through this survey helps us better understand their needs and strengthen the services we provide. This participant feedback process strengthened findings and information in our previous work, such as our report A Right to Rental Assistance in Massachusetts. We're committed to using these results to enhance our support for families and individuals in our community."
Alex Train, Chief Operating Officer, La Colaborativa
“Across the Commonwealth, the intensifying housing affordability crisis is disproportionately affecting low-income Latinx and immigrant communities, especially our most vulnerable residents in places like Chelsea. MRVP, a major tool in combating the affordability crisis, is a notably effective program, as outlined in this thorough report. We emphatically urge the Commonwealth to codify and expand MRVP, in order to make housing stability a reality for all families in our Commonwealth.”
Anne Marie Belrose, Executive Director, Regional Housing Network of Massachusetts
“This thoughtful research showcases MRVP’s long-proven value across stakeholder groups. Most importantly, it provides detailed analysis and recommendations regarding how the program can be improved and expanded through codification. The recommendations have sparked a dialogue that will increase economic stability and mobility for tenants and better the experience for landlords and owners who are critical members of our housing ecosystem.”
Sarah Bartley, Senior Vice President, Safe & Stable Housing, United Way of Massachusetts Bay
“The Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program enables thousands of families to put down roots in our community and access a safe and stable home that provides a foundation for them to thrive in school and work. This report demonstrates how we all win when families are able to realize their goals by maintaining employment, saving more, and building credit. Drawing from the experiences of those who participate in MRVP, we can make the program more effective in reaching landlords who can leverage it for their own stability and make it easier for families to access this proven solution."
Steve Koczela, President, The MassINC Polling Group
“This research project is unique in its scope and scale. The combination of surveys, focus groups, and interviews offers deep insight into how both landlords and tenants experience MRVP. We are grateful to all the MRVP tenants and landlords who shared their opinions. We hope this research makes a difference for them and others waiting to participate in the program.”
Jordan Stocker, Senior Policy Associate, Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA)
“What makes this report so powerful is how clearly it captures the everyday impact of MRVP. You hear directly from residents who’ve been able to keep themselves and their families housed, and from landlords who value the program’s reliability and purpose. These insights will guide us toward targeted policy improvements that will help the program reach more people, reduce barriers, and deliver even greater impact in communities across Massachusetts.”
Beverly Williams, Executive Vice President of Behavioral Health & Community Services, Brockton Area Multi-Services, Inc. (BAMSI)
“I was particularly impressed by the collaborative and coordinated efforts in making this process successful. The flexibility of organizers and participants helped to enrich the process, and the willingness to earnestly listen to the voices of tenants and landlords was evident throughout. I was surprised by the similarity in experiences of both landlords and tenants and grateful for their willingness to share thoughts on ways the current system can be enhanced. I look forward to the next steps and encourage the continued use of tenant and landlord voice in enhancement efforts.”
About the report
Voice of Experience is the product of a mixed-methods research project that combined two surveys with focus groups and interviews.
The tenant survey was answered by 989 MRVP voucher holders. Responses were conducted online December 2-15, 2024. Results were weighted by race, age, gender, income, and county to reflect known parameters for MRVP heads of households. The margin of error is +/- 3.3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, inclusive of the design effect.
The landlord survey was answered by 175 landlords who rent to voucher holders and was also conducted online December 4-15, 2024. Population parameters for landlords are not known, so the landlord results are presented unweighted.
The qualitative research – 2 focus groups with MRVP tenants and 11 landlord interviews – were conducted in February 2025.
The research was informed and directed by stakeholders from across the housing sector, who contributed final recommendations to the report. The research was conducted by The MassINC Polling, who also drafted the report. The project was sponsored by The Boston Foundation, United Way of Massachusetts Bay, Point32 Foundation, Metro Housing | Boston, The Boston Housing Authority, Hearthway, NeighborWorks Housing Solutions, Way Finders, and RCAP Solutions.
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The Boston Foundation is one of the nation’s first and most impactful community foundations. Partnering with community members, donors, the public sector, businesses and nonprofits, we exist to close the gaps caused by our city’s greatest disparities, to advance economic justice, and to help build a better Boston. We collect data, commission research, share knowledge, develop dynamic programs, fuel new ideas and fund change. Our work informs public policy, catalyzes conversations and advocates not only for change, but for repair of the historical harms of inequity. Ultimately, we aim to support, contribute and create well-being and opportunity within our communities. TBF is also one of New England’s largest grantmakers, supporting nonprofits in Greater Boston through our endowment and working closely with our donors to support nonprofits locally, nationally and internationally.
The MassINC Polling Group is a nonpartisan public opinion research firm serving public, private, and social-sector clients. MPG elevates the public's voice with cutting-edge methods and rigorous analysis. Based in Boston, MPG serves a nationwide client base. Learn more at massincpolling.com.