WASHINGTON - Three years ago, a band of tenants waged war against the District landlord that wanted them out. They were told it was a fight they couldn't win, but you just can't predict what the holiday season will bring.

"Home is like somewhere you can go, even though--even though you're in tough times," said Kimberly Chopin, a resident at 3121 Mount Pleasant St.

Fourteen-year-old Kimberly Chopin lives with her family in the Mount Pleasant apartment. She lost her first tooth there and sent her first email. It's also where her parents brought her younger brother home from the hospital.

It's a modest unit with one bedroom, but it's theirs to call home.

Fred Chopin said, "I feel really safe here and I also feel like this home is where I live. No one can take it away from me."

So the Chopins were shocked when the landlord of 3121 Mount Pleasant St. announced plans to sell their building. But where other residents may have folded, families came together.

Leonel Quijano, who also lives in the building, said, "At first I thought it was impossible because I knew it was gonna take a long time and a lot of money, which we didn't have."

With the guidance of groups like the Latino Association of Mount Pleasant, the 18 households secured a $1.8 million loan from the District. Under a city law that provides tenants with the first right of refusal if their building is to be sold, they bought the property.

Quijano said, "I don't even know how it happened, it just did. So we're really happy."

Juan Carlos Ruiz, the spokesperson for the Latino Association of Mount Pleasant, says 3121 Mount Pleasant Street provides hope to the Hispanic community.

He said, "We need to maintain that richness of diversity, so people can walk in the street and people can say hello in different languages, but have a common mission: the mission to build a stronger America."

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