Devenscrest Tenant Association
Devenscrest Tenant Association (DCTA) was founded by tenants of Devenscrest Village in Ayer, Massachusetts, in the summer of 2021. After their homes were sold to an out-of-state investor that announced its plan was to renovate the units and double the rents, tenants organized and began to fight to keep their homes.
Since then, DCTA has assembled a legal and technical team, had a financial feasibility study done, partnered with an affordable housing developer to offer to buy back the development, and have so far been able to stave off eviction actions.
DCTA has garnered support from the local community, including faith leaders from Ayer and surrounding towns. In March 2024, DCTA participated in a Good Friday Walk with the faith community.
DCTA in the News
February 15, 2024
D-Amber Houle says she pays $900 a month for her rental home at Devenscrest Village in Ayer.
“Every day I’m like: ‘Am I going to have somewhere to live next month, next year?’” she said. “It’s just really hard.”
February 1, 2024
When D-Amber Houle moved into Devenscrest Village in Ayer in 2009, there was a strong community among the residents: children played in the street and everyone knew each other.
But when a new landlord took over in 2021, tenants in the Nashoba Valley community began receiving eviction notices. People who had lived there for decades began to leave, construction workers became a common sight as they worked on the vacated units and apartments were put back on the market at twice the monthly rates they were previously.
January 31, 2024
State Housing Secretary Ed Augustus visited with the embattled tenants of Devenscrest on Tuesday morning to both listen to their concerns and communicate how the state could support them.
January 30, 2024
The people who live at Devenscrest take care of their homes and want to stay in their community. If we’re going to make Massachusetts an affordable place for working families to live, we need to help them.
December 24, 2021
December 18, 2021
November 18, 2021
Because Brady Sullivan Realty is applying scorched-earth tactics to clear out a neighborhood in Ayer, the response from many of the Devenscrest residents is to remain united in fighting back against Brady Sullivan Realty.
September 14, 2021
September 10, 2021
August 18, 2021
August 15, 2021
August 12, 2021
July 31, 2021
July 21, 2021
We agree with Eldridge that this sorry episode underscores the dire need for the creation of truly affordable housing in this state, a demand that’s grown exponentially as housing prices continue to soar.
July 17, 2021
July 16, 2021