Faith compels justice

They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. Isaiah 65:21

Jesus said, “ Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:31

As people of faith, we are compelled to raise our voices to help usher in the day when all people will be housed and love our neighbors. Devenscrest Village was family owned for half a century, but in 2021 it was purchased by out-of-state investor Brady Sullivan Properties whose plan was to remove the residents, renovate the units and double the rents. Brady Sullivan’s threat and initiation of undeserved no-fault evictions of Devenscrest tenants resulted in mass displacement as many residents left without waiting for eviction cases to be filed against them. The remaining residents are standing firm.

The Devenscrest Tenant Association (DCTA) has assembled a legal and technical team, completed a financial feasibility study, partnered with an
affordable housing developer to offer to buy back the development and have so far been able to stave off the no-fault eviction actions. They will not be moved!

We stand in solidarity with the Devenscrest tenants and call upon state and local officials to exercise their influence and authority to allow Devenscrest tenants to remain in their homes. The displacement of the residents of these homes creates both a personal crisis for these residents and an ethical crisis for the larger community. Rising prices in the area leave long-time
tenants with no affordable place to go. These residents contribute to our community, hold local jobs and have children in the Ayer school system. They are our neighbors. Their displacement will be a loss for all of Ayer and surrounding communities.

There is broad support for keeping Devenscrest affordable – from local community members, from state officials such as Secretary of Housing Ed Augustus, Senator Jamie Eldridge and Representative Dan Sena, and from neighboring communities. DCTA and its affordable housing developer partner have offered to buy the complex, in order to preserve it as affordable, at a price that would give Brady Sullivan a more than fair return on its investment, but Brady Sullivan has refused to accept.

We call upon the Ayer Select Board to support Devencrest Tenants Association’s efforts to preserve Devenscrest as affordable and avoid displacement of residents living there and to urge Brady Sullivan to sell Devenscrest to an affordable housing purchaser who will maintain the
affordability of these homes. 

For our part, we are committed to raising awareness among our friends and neighbors. While the rising housing prices are not limited to Ayer, this is where we can have an impact. We will do this through actions such as:

• Participating in public meetings impacting the future of Devenscrest
• Hosting a meeting where DCTA can speak
• Displaying a lawn sign to raise awareness
• Making a contribution to help DCTA continue their work towards ongoing affordability of the Devenscrest homes
• Writing a personal letter of support to the Ayer Select Board, in addition to signing this petition
• Visiting www.Devenscrest.org for more information

We, the undersigned, are asking for your support of our neighbors.

(Please add your faith community under "Reason for Signing" if you have one.)