Bob Haas Community Trust

Twenty-nine Monadnock Street (“29”), an 1880 Victorian single-family house (with 7 bedrooms, 5 fireplaces, and unique cast iron, stained glass, and wood detailing), is more than just a home. For the past 50 years it has been an incubator, a resource hub, a catalyst, and a community for residents, in and outside the house. 

In December 2022, owner and founder of the affordable residential community at 29, Bob Haas, passed away. Bob was a gentle giant in the neighborhood, a devout catholic, a missional neighbor, a musician, a mentor, and an advocate for his neighbors, housemates, and community. It is in Bob’s honor that we steward 29 into a new era, building on Bob’s legacy of doing justice and loving ourselves and our neighbors, near and far. 

How? 

1. Stewardship: 29 alumni, neighbors, and friends of Bob formed the Bob Haas Community Trust, Inc., a Massachusetts non-profit organization, that will own and manage 29. The Trust’s initial efforts include fundraising to clear a reverse mortgage and prevent the house from going into foreclosure. 

2. Affordability: 29 will continue to be used as a residence for non-profit professionals and interns, who earn modest incomes working for community organizations in Dorchester and Roxbury, and who are thereby only able to afford modest rents.

3. Community: Nothing builds community like a little yard work and a lot of potlucks. The Trust hosts monthly Community Potlucks, for housemates and neighbors, designed to connect, build relationships, and share resources.

4. Collaboration: We partner with neighbors, housemates, and community organizations to meet needs in the community, provide leadership development opportunities, access to resources, and build relationships. We partner with DSNI and DNI to ensure long-term affordable housing and three other residential cooperative houses building community on Monadnock Street.