A sign reading "Future Property of 17 Adams Street Tenants Association" stands in a grassy yard in front of a yellow house and a large green bush.

Donate by check to WJPCT, 25 High St, Granby MA 01033, memo'd "17 Adams St". Our 501(C)(3) EIN is 04-6609717.

<a href="https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/17-Adams-St-Easthampton-MA-01027/123889537_zpid/" target="_blank">At 17 Adams Street in Easthampton</a>, tenants are standing on the front lines of the housing crisis. Here's their appeal, which is sponsored by the Warren J. Plaut Charitable Trust: In 2025, when new corporate owners attempted to uproot our lives with staggering rent hikes of 30% to 50%, we didn't succumb or pack our bags — we organized. As a united tenants association, we fought back and won, securing a fair 7.5% increase and proving that tenant power can win. Now, we are entering the next phase of our struggle for control over our housing. Our building is back on the market for $1.15 million. This is an unjustifiable 30% increase over the $900,000 the corporate investors paid in 2025. In order to minimize the mortgage and keep rents as low as possible, we’re launching our campaign to raise $400,000 for tenant-led purchase and community control. We’re counting on friendly loans and tax-deductible donations to make this happen. Our goal is to permanently remove this property from the speculative market. By transitioning to a model of resident-led ownership, we will ensure that 17 Adams remains a stable, affordable home for the working-class people who make Easthampton what it is. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1793406365/wysiwyg/lsuvg4edqbqiw8rexris.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;padding:0px 1px;max-width:100%" />Photo as seen in the Easthampton Tenant's Union article.  WHO WE ARE: We are a vibrant, multigenerational, and multiracial working-class community of ten adults and one young child with special needs. Our close-knit home in Easthampton includes single parents, seniors, and folks living with disabilities. We are deeply rooted here—some of us have lived in this town for decades. While everyone in our community falls well below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), making us eligible for affordable housing in Massachusetts, we pride ourselves on being deeply responsible, reliable tenants. Easthampton is where our families, jobs, social support networks, and lives are. This is our home. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1793407091/wysiwyg/vvb5e8yj9u2widfomsbi.jpg" style="width:415px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;padding:0px 1px;max-width:100%" />Organizers at 17 Adams Street hung a framed feature about a rally and town hall they organized around their situation and other tenant rights issues in Easthampton. Property management took it down immediately. They can take down the frame, but they can’t stop the movement. IN OUR WORDS: “I’ve lived in three different states and many more towns, but Easthampton is the only place that has felt like home. This is the first time in my life that I have felt safe and secure.” “I am a 50-year-old woman living in a one-bedroom apartment with my dog, an emotional support animal. Since I cannot work due to disability, my only income is Social Security Disability Insurance. Although money is tight, it has been worth it to me to live in a safe, quiet place which is close to my family and my medical providers, and also close to parks and nature trails that I can enjoy with my dog.” “Before this happened, I wasn’t involved in local government. Today I voted, attended meetings, and got to know many of our elected officials because I realized that the future of our homes depends on the future of our community.” <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1793406533/wysiwyg/rmcqkdcfe3lnhi9dnips.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;padding:0px 1px;max-width:100%" />Photo by DANIEL JACOBI II as seen in the Daily Hampshire Gazette. OUR CURRENT PLAN:<ul><li>The <a href="https://www.valleyhousing.coop/" target="_blank">Valley Housing Coop</a>, based in Greenfield, has agreed to take us on as an expansion of their existing structure, and we’re working closely with them on all aspects of this project.</li><li>The <a href="https://cooperativefund.org/" target="_blank">Cooperative Fund of the Northeast</a> is on board with financing, once we establish initial funding to accompany an offer to purchase.</li><li>The Easthampton Community Preservation Act committee approved our application for $200K, and we're assured that the finance committee and full city council will vote in favor. (This should happen by mid-October.)</li><li>We’re working with multiple lawyers who have experience with cooperatives and tenants’ rights.</li></ul>In addition to raising funds to offset the mortgage, we’re establishing a capital improvement and resilience fund. Years of landlord neglect, and now profit-first corporate ownership, have resulted in deferred maintenance and shoddy repairs. The reserve funds will be used for:<ul><li>Essential repairs: including ice dams in the winter causing leaks throughout the building, water damage, and mold in the walls</li><li>Safety and upgrades: including defective bathroom fixtures, cracked flooring, faulty sockets, and poor insulation</li></ul>THE BREAKDOWN:  YOUR SUPPORT WILL SET A PRECEDENT IN OUR COMMUNITY: Displacement is a tool of systemic inequality, and collective action is the antidote. Your donation—no matter the size—says NO to gentrification and YES to a future where people come before profits. Help us prove that when a community stands together, we can stay together.We've already generated quite a bit of community visibility and momentum. We have great hope that we will be successful in acquiring the building based on the groundswell of community support. If we are not, all donations will be refunded.  OUR NETWORK<ul><li>Nicole Miller is our realtor (<a href="https://www.raveis.com/Agent/nicolemiller" target="_blank">https://www.raveis.com/Agent/nicolemiller</a>)</li><li>Lindsey Rothschild, real estate agent and member of Easthampton's Affordable and Fair Housing Partnership </li><li>Easthampton City Council President Koni Denham and Councilors Kiam Jamrog-McQuaid and Thomas Peake</li><li>Easthampton Tenants Union</li><li>Rebecca Fletcher, Loan and Outreach Officer, Cooperative Fund of the Northeast</li><li>Jon Weissman, Secretary/Treasurer, Warren J. Plaut Charitable Trust</li></ul>Please support us in spreading the word. Even if you don’t have capacity to give, if you have any contacts or resources that you think would be supportive for us, please email <a href="mailto:17adamsstreet@gmail.com" target="_blank">17adamsstreet@gmail.com</a>. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1793406795/wysiwyg/ylwcipyvlaagfawbpk3a.jpg" style="width:402px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;padding:0px 1px;max-width:100%" />Photo by Daniel Jacob II as seen in the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Learn more about the history of our organizing: Easthampton Tenants Seek to Buy Their Building From Co-op After Rent Hikes <a href="https://gazettenet.com/2026/08/07/easthampton-tenants-seek-to-buy-their-building-form-co-op-after-rent-hikes/" target="_blank">https://gazettenet.com/2026/08/07/easthampton-tenants-seek-to-buy-their-building-form-co-op-after-rent-hikes/</a> Tenants Decry Rent Hikes In Easthampton<a href="https://easthamptontenantsunion.org/housing-advocates-tenants-decry-rent-hikes-in-easthampton/" target="_blank">https://easthamptontenantsunion.org/housing-advocates-tenants-decry-rent-hikes-in-easthampton/</a> Easthampton Tenants Demand Stricter Rules for Corporate Landlords Amid Rising Rents<a href="https://easthamptontenantsunion.org/easthampton-tenants-demand-stricter-rules-for-corporate-landlords-amid-rising-rents/" target="_blank">https://easthamptontenantsunion.org/easthampton-tenants-demand-stricter-rules-for-corporate-landlords-amid-rising-rents/</a> Easthampton Tenants Rally Against Absentee Landlord Over Rent Hikes &amp; Neglect <a href="https://easthamptontenantsunion.org/easthampton-tenants-rally-against-absentee-landlord-over-rent-hikes-neglect/" target="_blank">https://easthamptontenantsunion.org/easthampton-tenants-rally-against-absentee-landlord-over-rent-hikes-neglect/</a> Easthampton Moves to Address Rent Hikes <a href="https://easthamptontenantsunion.org/easthampton-moves-to-address-rent-hikes/" target="_blank">https://easthamptontenantsunion.org/easthampton-moves-to-address-rent-hikes/</a>

Warren J. Plaut Charitable Trust

Buy Back 17 Adams Street for the Community!

Choose an amount:

$

You'll receive a tax receipt for making a donation.