Last month, Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine announced an unprecedented $21 million commitment to attack one of the region's major issues, affordable housing.

While Harvard's act was a one-time allocation, for more than a decade, on a side street behind City Hall, a group of grassroots activists has been consistently tackling the Cambridge housing shortage.

The Eviction Free Zone (EFZ) has spent the last 10 years advocating for tenant rights and representing the interests of working people.

"We want tenants to take a proactive approach to organizing with our support," says EFZ lead housing organizer Toy Lim.

With more than 450 members, EFZ has established itself as a force both on the streets and in City Hall.

"It's a holistic vision of activism," says State Rep. Jarrett T. Barrios '90 (D-Cambridge). "You have to be able to put on your suit and talk to politicians, and get your message on the street to inflame the issue."

With an arsenal of tactics including letter writing, negotiations, lawsuits, and rallies and marches, EFZ has emerged as local tenants' primary defenders against evictions and steep rent increases.

Over the past year, the group has led the drive to implement a living wage in Cambridge and has been fighting to secure voting rights for immigrants.