Housing Policy Fellowship

Unit: Internship

Department: Administration

Salary Range: $24.00 PER HOUR 15-20hrs/week

Posting Date: Wednesday, September 17, 2025

Application Deadline: Friday, October 17, 2025

Application Procedure: Please apply by filling out this Google Form. The deadline for applications is October 17th. Selected candidates will be invited to a group interview in November. Final decisions will be made by the end of November.

General Description:

About Us

Boston Housing Authority (BHA) fosters sustainable communities by providing quality affordable housing, bringing stability, opportunity, and peace of mind to thousands of low and moderate-income families across Greater Boston and the City of Boston as a whole. As the largest provider of affordable housing in Boston, one of the most expensive cities in the country, BHA understands housing as a crucial platform for individual, household, and community stability. Through its Public Housing communities and Section 8 rental assistance programs, BHA provides housing assistance and services to more than 58,000 low and moderate-income households, including families with children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities. In all aspects of our operations, internally and externally, BHA is committed to breaking down the barriers to racial equity and justice in housing and related fields that disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities.
 

Diversity and Inclusion

As a proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, physical or mental disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, and military and veteran status, or any other basis protected by local, state or federal law. To the greatest extent possible, it is the policy of BHA to give preference in employment to BHA residents, leased housing residents, and low-income persons.

As a housing authority, we recognize the historical role that residential racial segregation has played in the City of Boston. The BHA of today and in the future will actively address and dismantle barriers to becoming a diverse, equitable, and inclusive city.
 

About the Fellowship

BHA is looking for five graduate students to be a part of our fellowship program! The Housing Policy Fellowship is a part-time 16 week program focused on innovation, sustainability, and housing policy strategy.

The BHA envisions a strong, vibrant, and equitable city where every resident can thrive. We foster this vision by providing quality affordable housing, bringing stability, opportunity and peace of mind to thousands of low and moderate income families across the Greater Boston area. As the largest provider of affordable housing in Boston, the BHA seeks to innovate the housing space and center the knowledge and experiences of the households we serve. These households include families with children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities that call BHA communities home.

The BHA Housing Policy Fellowship is a 16 week fellowship program for graduate students interested in developing, implementing, and advancing housing related policies that will positively impact the lives of public housing residents and Section 8 voucher holders. Five fellows will be part of BHA’s policy lab team and will be reporting directly to Dr. Taylor Cain, Chief of Staff, Dr. Nicholas Kelly, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation, and Maya Harel, Assistant to the Chief of Staff, as well as other senior staff.

Weekly hours will vary between 15-20 hours per week, allowing for flexibility within current school schedule. Fellows are required to come in-person to our downtown Boston office on Thursday afternoons from 2:00-4:00pm for weekly check-ins.
 

Duties & Responsibilities:

What kind of projects will fellows work on?

Fellows will work with members of BHA’s policy lab team as well as staff from BHA departments including Leased Housing, Public Housing, Planning Construction and Development, and Resident Capacity. Some of our previous fellows have worked on:

• Researching, developing, and launching a sustainability-focused pilot program for our Section 8 voucher holders
• Reviewing our economic mobility programs and developing a comprehensive strategy document charting the future of these programs
• Engaging with residents to plan open space improvements at public housing sites and using lessons learned to write a resident engagement handbook
• Expanding public health education about Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias by working with partner organizations to run brain health educational workshops at our public housing sites
• Increasing the accessibility and user friendliness of BHA’s Five Year Plan to better connect with residents and community leaders, including graphic design and website content creation
• Employing Geographic Information System (GIS) software as a tool to create maps and diagrams of our portfolio to use as internal guides and as clear visual communications to residents about upcoming projects
• Creating tracking systems to promote equity in contracting, ensuring Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBEs) are uplifted in our procurement processes

 

When does the fellowship program run?

The Spring 2026 Housing Policy Fellowship will be running from Monday, January 20th – Friday, May 8th, 2026.
 

Minimum Qualifications & Experience:

Who should apply to the Housing Policy Fellowship? 

We are looking for graduate students with a strong interest in or curiosity about public service and housing. We invite students from different disciplines including urban planning, public administration, environmental studies, architecture, sociology, and other fields. Fellows will be expected to be in-person during the duration of the fellowship program. 

Please apply by filling out this Google Form. The deadline for applications is October 17th.