The residents of this Brownsville HDFC had just won a legal battle to reclaim possession of their building, which had fallen into foreclosure and had been targeted by real estate brokers. This battle began when a crucial tax exemption – J51 – had expired without their knowledge, resulting in a steep and unaffordable jump in their taxes. Kianah and Ms. King led a massive legal effort to regain their building, seeking help from local council members, lawyers, and housing nonprofits along the way. King grew up in Brownsville and homesteaded building with a group that included Kianah’s mother. Many of the original homesteaders were biologically related. They moved into the building in 1983; the building has had a tight-knit and familial atmosphere ever since. Children grew up playing in the hallways and street; cook outs would regularly occur in the backyard. King has been president since the 1980s and plans to continue her tenure into her retirement, although Kianah, part of a younger generation who grew up in the building, now lives there with her partner and child and has since taken on more leadership.