The Housing Discrimination Testing Program (HDTP) at Suffolk Law School is looking for paid volunteers to become housing discrimination testers. Interested BC Law students, please email Kelly Vieira to RSVP to the two-part training on March 28th and 29th, 2023 from 6 to 7:30 PM.
Why you should be a Tester
- It is a great way to have a positive impact on the community. Test evidence is used to help real people stand up for their right to have access to housing and live where they want to live.
- Testers are paid! Payment for a test that requires an apartment visit is $100 and payment for a phone/email test is $50. Testers are independent contractors and are paid by assignment.
- Testing is not a major time commitment. There is one mandatory training and you choose when you are available to conduct a test. Once you commit to a test we do require that you follow guidelines and procedures.
The Role of a Tester
HDTP is seeking individuals who are willing to serve as housing discrimination testers. A tester is someone who attempts to rent an apartment and then provides an objective and unbiased report on the treatment received during the housing search. HDTP uses the information gathered by testers to see if renters are treated differently on the basis of a protected category. The protected categories in Massachusetts are: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, familial status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, public assistance, military status, age, and gender identity. Experience with renting housing is helpful, but not required. Testers must be at least 18 years of age. Identity and criminal background checks including a CORI is required.
About HDTP
Suffolk University Law School’s Housing Discrimination Testing Program (HDTP) works to eliminate housing discrimination in the Boston metro area and beyond through testing, enforcement, education, and partnerships with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Boston Fair Housing Commission, local enforcement agencies, and other Fair Housing organizations. The HDTP is supported by a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Tester’s personal information will be held in strict confidence, but some information may become public if a test conducted for enforcement purposes results in lawsuit or if the matter is pursued by a public or government agency.