On Saturday October 23, Forbes Building tenants, neighbors and allies rallied to #saveourhomes and preserve the Forbes in Jamaica Plain as long-term, subsidized, truly affordable housing for seniors and persons with disabilities! 

This 147-unit building housing mostly low-income seniors and disabled persons is at risk of being converted to market rate housing but MAHT have been working with the Forbes tenants association, the City of Boston, and the State to keep it affordable. We cannot afford to lose the few existing low-income units we have in Jamaica Plain and in Boston. Tenants have collected over 1,200 handwritten signatures of community support thanks to Forbes building tenants engaging community members outside JP Licks and Stop & Shop. 

For years, tenants at Forbes were led to believe the owner, upon 40T expiration, would be renewing subsidy contracts to preserve the affordability of the building. Several tenants even turned down opportunities to live in other subsidized buildings because they were told they'd be able to stay at the Forbes. But just a few days before Christmas in 2020, they were informed that the owner had other plans. This has caused a great deal of stress to these elderly and disabled tenants, who have already been under stress due to the ongoing pandemic. Since December, the tenants and MAHT have been meeting and pushing hard to preserve the building.  Thankfully the owner has now agreed to meet with the tenant association which gives hope to possible preservation.