New Orleans Habitat - Operation Home Delivery Blog

New Home, New Beginning for New Orleans Family

NEW ORLEANS (June 19, 2008) — For Katherine Hutton the foundation of her new Habitat home not only provides stability for the wood-frame walls, but also for her goal to continue to give her children all the love, wisdom and support to pursue their education and goals. As the walls were raised by volunteers today at a construction site on South Galvez Street, her dream of home ownership was one step closer to reality.

Over $50,000 was raised through a Kellogg’s promotion with Winn-Dixie to help cover the costs of the building materials. Each time customers purchased two of any type of Kellogg’s, Keebler, Eggo, Kashi, Cheez-It or Murray products, Kellogg’s donated 25 cents to the building of the New Orleans Habitat home. The Huttons’ future home will mark the completion of Winn-Dixie and Kellogg’s partnership of nine Habitat homes.

“Winn-Dixie has had an 80-year commitment to helping neighborhoods and families grow,” said Joey Medina, regional vice president for Winn-Dixie. “We are proud of our Associates and customers, whose contributions are helping Katherine become a homeowner.”

After the wall-raising ceremony, work began to build the Huttons’ future home. Representatives from New Orleans Habitat for Humanity, Winn-Dixie and Kellogg’s, along with community leaders, volunteers and the Hutton family, began the day’s work of framing the home by swinging hammers and cutting lumber.

In lieu of a down payment, Katherine Hutton will complete 350 sweat equity hours to realize her dream of home ownership. As a single mother, she’s now ready to work on building her own house and make a better life for her sons Tra, 13, and 11-month-old Jeremiah, along with 20-year-old niece Keisha. Katherine majored in criminal justice at Delgado Community College and currently works full time at the New Orleans Police Department.

“We greatly appreciate the commitment and dedication our partners at Kellogg’s and Winn-Dixie have contributed to home building efforts in New Orleans,” said Jim Pate, executive director of New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. “Their financial and volunteer contributions will further our efforts to revitalize the Central City neighborhood by building decent, affordable housing."

About Winn-Dixie

Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc., is one of the nation’s largest food retailers.  Founded in 1925, the Company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla.  The Company currently operates 521 retail grocery locations, including more than 400 in-store pharmacies, in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi.  For more information, please visit www.winn-dixie.com.

About The Kellogg Company

The Kellogg Company (NYSE: K) is the world’s leading producer of cereal and a leading producer of convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, toaster pastries, cereal bars, frozen waffles, meat alternatives, pie crusts and ice cream cones. The company’s brands include Kellogg’s, Keebler, Pop-Tarts, Eggo, Cheez-It, Nutri-Grain, Rice Krispies, Murray, Austin, Morningstar Farms, Famous Amos, Carr’s, Plantation, Ready Crust and Kashi. Kellogg’s products are manufactured in 17 countries and marketed in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information, visit Kellogg’s website at www.kelloggcompany.com.

About New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH), an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. NOAHH builds new houses in partnership with sponsors, volunteers, communities and homeowner families to eliminate poverty housing in the New Orleans area while serving as a catalyst to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. NOAHH plans to continue building homes in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles and Plaquemines parishes.

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Blitz Build

This article was written for the Federal Bar Association New Orleans Chapter newsletter. The FBA has been a longtime supporter, in money and labor, of New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity:

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Blitz Build

May, 2008, Upper 9^th Ward, New Orleans

by Ginger Berrigan, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court

 

 

“6:30 a.m.?? You’ve got to be kidding??!!”

 

The email said volunteers for the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Blitz Build need to report at 6:30 a.m. Okay, okay. Lay out the clothes, set the alarm, go to bed early.

 

When I got to the site, I understood why. Several thousand other early risers swarmed around a huge tent, checking in, filling water bottles, donning Carter Build T-shirts, high fiving friends and strangers. After an inspirational pep talk, we dispersed to our assignments.

 

Mine was to put up siding. Measure, cut, carry, level it, nail it in; measure, cut, ooops, dropped the siding, broke it; measure again, carry more carefully, level it, nail it in. My partner was a cheery woman named Diana who turned out to be the homeowner. Wow, that’s great. Ouch, hammered my finger, quit talking. Measure, cut, carry. Who is that across the street? Harry Connick, Jr. Wow again! Where’s my measuring tape?

 

After being on the siding awhile, I joined a group of nuns from southern California who were painting strips of siding blue. Slapping pant was a return to childhood, sprinkles flying all over my clothes, in my hair; pretty soon I was as blue as the siding. Who are those weird looking guys staring at everyone? Ah, the Secret Service. The President must be around. I used the excuse of carrying some siding to the front of the house, and there they were. Jimmy and Rosalyn, on their knees on the porch, hammering in boards. They’re both in their 80's. They should be sitting on a porch, not building it. Inspirational!

 

Shortly before noon, we returned to the big tent for lunch. Lined up for N’awlins jambalaya, greens, corn bread. Guess who I sat with? President and Mrs. Carter. Ah, being Chief Judge has its perks. A wonderfully warm and friendly couple. I asked him his favorites of the books he wrote. “An Hour Before Daylight,” he said.  He wrote down the title. Great, I thought, I now have an autograph. Alas, no camera.

 

As the crews were summoned back to work, I regretfully went on to my day job.

 

In one week, the Carter Blitz Build completed seven homes, framed and dried-in 20 more and planned to turn over the keys to another 25 before the end of May.

 

In a word, awesome.

 

The Great Rush Fan Challenge

Greetings to all of my fellow RUSH fans out there.

As most of you know by now, on 17 April 08, Alex, Geddy and Neil donated $100,000 to further help the people affected by Hurricane Katrina in the New Orleans region.

Please check this link to Rush.com for the official press release.

I was so impressed and moved by what our favourite band's "random act of kindness," and thought, "Wouldn't be great if we RUSH Fans could follow their example and do something likewise"?

Enter, "The Great RUSH Fan Challenge."

My challenge is simply this,

I want to encourage a minimum of 1000 RUSH fans to donate $10.00 each to The New Orleans Area Habitat For Humanity ... No calculator needed here, that would be $10,000 donated to this most worthy of causes.

To do so, check out the New Orleans Area Habitat For Humanity's website and follow directions to donate. Make sure to specify that your donation is in connection with the Great Rush Fan Challenge.

...To kick this challenge off, my wife and I have started the challenge by donating $100.

So, what do you say Net Boys and Net Girls, you up for the challenge and ready to follow RUSH's "random act of kindness"?

~Peace and Grace, ReGorLaTroy

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity Participates in the 25th Annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project

Former President Joins New Orleans for Weeklong Build and Celebration

 

NEW ORLEANS (May 28, 2008) — The week’s biggest highlight could only be the visit from President Carter, but from Sunday, May 11, 2008, until Friday, May 16, 2008, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) turned their part of the 2008 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project (JRCWP) on the Gulf Coast into a weeklong celebration of their contribution to New Orleans over the last 25 years. Through the generosity of Tulane Medical Center in partnership with HCA and Entergy, NOAHH was able to welcome hundreds of volunteers to New Orleans for a week of hard work and great friends.

The work project proudly bore its new title to honor the president’s wife’s dedication and continued support. In New Orleans, these beacons of hope arrived on Wednesday, May 14, 2008. With them came almost 1000 volunteers and visitors, including musician and Habitat supporter Harry Connick, Jr., Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, jazz legend Ellis Marsalis, and NOAHH Executive Director Jim Pate. In choosing the Gulf Coast as their silver anniversary worksite, the Carters brought much needed attention to the ailing Gulf Coast in the wake of the 2005 hurricane season. Visiting cities in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, they brought awareness, goodwill, and experience to the build sites, and hope to the future homeowners around the entire Gulf Coast region.

They spoke to the press of the situation in New Orleans. While President Carter addressed the tragedy of the city’s condition and the need for volunteers (600 a day on the Gulf Coast), Lt. Gov. Landrieu spoke of the opportunities to be had in the city and the chance to help make New Orleans a better place overall. Harry Connick, Jr., humbly claiming merely to be a singer of love songs, spoke of the music of New Orleans and the need to preserve the heritage and culture this city nearly lost to Hurricane Katrina.

That night, volunteers, staff, homeowners, sponsors, and special guests attended a celebration at the Sugar Mill, hosted by NOAHH. Starting with a second line from the hotel to the venue, the event featured Musicians’ Village homeowners Troy Sawyer (with the Troy Sawyer Trio) and Bob French (and his Original Tuxedo Jazz Band) performing with their bands. President and Mrs. Carter took the stage for a few words (and a rendition of “When the Saints Come Marching In” with special guest Harry Connick, Jr.), and later in the evening, NOAHH was presented with the Shine the Light Award from Louisiana’s Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu.

NOAHH’s goals were to dedicate 25 finished houses started since the first of the year, begin 15 more and bring them to dry-in status, and to blitz build 7 houses from Monday to Friday, foundation to finish. Though a little rain washed out a few of the dedications and delayed a few of the dry-ins, volunteers came out to the blitz houses everyday, from sun up to well past sun down to get them to their goals. All new construction began in the Upper Ninth Ward, but NOAHH held dedications on the West Bank, in the Hollygrove neighborhood, and in Central City as well.

On Sunday night, NOAHH kicked off the events with opening ceremonies in Woldenberg Park with Senator David Vitter there to speak a few words to the volunteers. Gospel choir Shades of Praise, featuring Musicians’ Village homeowner Michael Harris, opened the ceremonies with inspiration and joy, and Musicians’ Village homeowner Shamarr Allen brought the whole crowd to their feet with his band, the Shamarr Allen Band, which featured fellow homeowners Calvin Johnson and Stephen Walker.

Throughout the week, 800 volunteers came each day to pound nails and put up dry wall, install insulation and lift trusses. Despite the rain (and makeshift slip and slide) on Thursday and Friday, volunteers still made it out to the blitz houses to bring them to completion. And though the skies were clear the first part of the week, the volunteers still faced the sun, with temperatures up in the 90s. To get the job done, they even stayed well into the night.

Each day, the Salvation Army provided food for the volunteers and staff on site in the Upper Ninth Ward. During lunch, bands featuring members from NOAHH’s Musicians’ Village played for the crowd. Otra (featuring Gabriel Velasco), Soul Rebels Brass Band (featuring Alfred Growe), J. D. and the Jammers (featuring J. D. Hill) and special guest and fellow homeowner Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, and homeowner Ricardo Crespo all played.

By Friday afternoon, the rain had mostly cleared, and several hundred volunteers remained on the sites for the dedications of our 7 blitz built houses. A few had one or two minor touches left to go, but most of them were past their set goal for the week. In a simultaneous event all down Law St., the 7 houses were dedicated to their owners and the traditional bread, wine, Bible, tools, and keys were handed over.  Afterward, volunteers, staff, partner families, and members of the community were treated to barbecue and music in the streets.

 

 

Women leave jobs, will walk across Colorado for New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity

From the Fort Collins Coloradoan. By Tim Keith.

Two Fort Collins residents will leave their jobs and walk across the state this spring to raise money to build a home in New Orleans.

Jessica Vrettos, 28, and Shannon Farrell, 29, will walk the length of the state along the Interstate 25 corridor to raise $85,000 for New Orleans Habitat for Humanity and an extra $8,500 for local habitat projects.

 The pair will leave their full-time jobs this spring to dedicate their time to their group, “One More Home.”

“It’s exciting to work on something this big,” Vrettos said. “It’s scary but also exciting.”

Vrettos and Farrell first got involved with Katrina relief efforts on a trip to New Orleans last year, two years after the Category 5 hurricane devastated the region.

“To go there made me realize how much I forgot,” Vrettos said. “This is an American city that still needs a lot of attention.”

Vrettos and Farrell stayed with a friend who drove them around at night to show them the remaining damage from the storm.

“There seemed like there was so much to do,” Farrell said.

The idea for the statewide walk came after Vrettos and Farrell met Anna Merchant, who walked across the state to raise money for Dennis Kucinich’s presidential campaign last fall.

They will begin their trip along the I-25 corridor May 1, using a van for their sleeping quarters.

They will make stops at events to raise money along the way.

Locally, Vrettos and Farrell will sponsor a dinner at Fish Restaurant and an art show at the Bean Cycle to raise money for One More Home.

Information on the dinner and the One More Home is online at www.onemorehomeneworleans.com.

Sun Healthcare Group, Inc. Teams With New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - April 29, 2008) - Sun Healthcare Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNH) has partnered with the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity to assist with the construction of several homes designated for low-income families, many of whom were displaced as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

More than 90 company leaders from Sun's four subsidiary operations, including nursing home administrators, rehabilitation staff, hospice teams and staffing agency employees plan to dedicate Tuesday, May 6, to a community service project. Sun's leadership has reserved one day of the company's annual education conference to hammer, saw, staple and paint, among other responsibilities, in an effort to contribute to Habitat's cause. Sun has also agreed to donate $10,000 to benefit the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. "We appreciate all the support generated by our volunteers along with the wonderfully generous monetary donation made by Sun Healthcare Group," stated Jim Pate, executive director of the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. "This type of generosity is key to our mission."

Sun's CEO and Chairman Rick Matros said, "All year, more than 30,000 of our employees are concerned with the daily duties involved in providing quality health care services for our clients, patients and elderly residents. I am personally delighted that Sun's leadership team will be on hand to demonstrate our company's mission and conference theme, Caring is the Key in Life. To donate time for Habitat for Humanity's cause, even for one day, will enrich our purpose in New Orleans."

About Sun Healthcare Group, Inc.

Sun Healthcare Group, Inc., with executive offices in Irvine, California, owns SunBridge Healthcare Corporation and other affiliated companies that operate long-term and postacute care centers in many states. In addition, the Sun Healthcare Group family of companies provides therapy through SunDance Rehabilitation Corporation, hospice services through SolAmor Hospice and medical staffing through CareerStaff Unlimited, Inc.

About New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH), an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. NOAHH builds new houses in partnership with sponsors, volunteers, communities and homeowner families to eliminate poverty housing in the New Orleans area while serving as a catalyst to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Since its inception in 1983 NOAHH has built more than 200 new homes for low-income families in need of adequate shelter. Visit www.habitat-nola.org for more information.

Contact:
Media Inquiries
(505) 468-4582

 

Letter from Artist Andrea Mistretta

As an individual partner, and an artist in love with New Orleans, it has been amazing for me to first see for myself how this new neighborhood in Musicians Village came from an empty lot in the devastated 9th Ward 2 years ago during my Mardi Gras visit from my home in New Jersey. Then seeing the foundations laid during Jazz Fest in May 2006 when I introduced The ReNew poster.

Now a rainbow of houses row after row make many a place called home, as Gina Stilp was so kind to take a few moments from her hectic schedule to show me.

My 2006 Mardi Gras poster stated, “After the Storm, Let There Be Rainbows.” And so there was.  But there is still much more to do there so my partnership with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity continues by donating half of my royalties from 4 of my posters since the storm. My New Orleans Jazz Heritage poster which honors some of the great innovators of the American art form of jazz and its significant cultural influence in the world.

A special signed and numbered limited edition of 150 will be the only prints to include actual mounted collector postage stamps with of portraits of Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Sidney Bechet, and  Buddy Bolden. The print includes biographies and a certificate of authenticity.

This New Orleans Jazz Heritage poster was released by my wonderful publisher of 23 years, Devin Dedeaux of Cunningham Enterprises in New Orleans, during the 25th anniversary of French  Quarter festival on April 11, 2008. For purchase inquiries please patronize a New Orleans Bywater business by contacting Devin at hdevin@bellsouth.net A note: Devin and family also experienced absolute devastation by Katrina but has “Risen as the Phoenix” and sees the rainbow through the clouds always!

Love and Rainbows!

Andrea Mistretta

 
To see Andrea’s Gallery of posters: http://www.mardigrasgraphics.com

MBIA's Investment in New Orleans

With insured bonds in New Orleans’s airport, aquarium, zoo, and hospitals, MBIA Insurance has a definite interest in seeing New Orleans rebuilt. But as Mitchell Sonkin, the head of insured profile management for MBIA, explained, the company wanted to go beyond donations and get its hands dirty. So, the company decided to extend its participation in Habitat for Humanity down to the Gulf Coast and sponsor a NOAHH home in the West Bank. Three waves of MBIA volunteers came to New Orleans throughout the construction process and swung their hammers to build a home in partnership with the Joseph Family.

The last group of volunteers from MBIA were on hand on Friday, April 4, to present Terrence Joseph with the keys to his family’s new home. Mr. Joseph, a proud native of New Orleans, construction worker, and the father of three sons, said of his family’s displacement after Hurricane Katrina: “I wanted to come back to New Orleans to help with the rebuilding efforts, and this city is my home. I never knew how much I loved my city until I almost lost it forever. I want my kids to grow up here and have a love of New Orleans like I do.”

About the House Sponsor – MBIA Inc.

MBIA Inc. is a premier financial guarantor and a leading provider of fixed-income investment management services. The Company’s core business is credit enhancement of municipal bonds and structured financings. MBIA's innovative and cost-effective products and services meet the credit enhancement, financial and investment needs of its public and private sector clients, domestically and internationally. MBIA Inc.'s principal operating subsidiary, MBIA Insurance Corporation, has the following financial strength ratings: Triple-A with negative outlook from Standard & Poor's Ratings Services; Triple-A with negative outlook from Moody's Investors Service; and Triple-A with a negative outlook from Ratings and Investment Information, Inc. MBIA’s offices in New York, Denver, San Francisco, Paris, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Sydney and Tokyo, service the needs of clients with local solutions around the globe.

 

Half Price Books gives you the chance to help them make a difference!

Half Price Books is letting you decide how they will contribute to non-profits contributing to saving our planet. Go to www.halfpricebooks.com and click on their “Environmental Initiative” link (near the bottom of the page, under the column “Community”). Follow that to the “Vote for the Planet” link (the first link in the column on the left) and vote for Habitat for Humanity! You can also visit the voting site directly through this link: http://www.becomegreen.org/vote.html.

 If we win, Half Price Books will give up to $25,000 in aide to five Habitat for Humanity affiliates.

You can vote each day from now until April 22^nd, so visit often and help us bring safe, affordable housing to working families around the country.”

  

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity to Participate in Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project Gulf Coast 2008

The HCA Foundation on Behalf of Tulane Medical Center

to Support NOAHH’s Efforts

New Orleans, LA (March 6, 2008)— New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) will celebrate it’s 25^th year of service in the metropolitan New Orleans Area by participating in the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project with Habitat for Humanity International.

 

“To witness the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina and the levee breaches firsthand was overwhelming,” stated Jim Pate, Executive Director of New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. “After two decades of working in this community, we saw the need for low-income housing drastically increase post-Katrina and realized our efforts must also.”

 

During the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project Week (May 11 – 16, 2008), NOAHH will blitz build (start to finish) 10 homes; finish and dedicate 25 homes (homes started since January 1, 2008); and start 25 homes (start to dry-in status) during the week. The homes will be spread throughout the Upper Ninth Ward, Westbank and the Hollygrove areas of New Orleans.

 

Hundreds of volunteers from around the country will participate and experience a Habitat build as never experienced before. The week will be full of work, fun and community-building as future homeowners come in contact with the volunteers as their homes are built.

 

The HCA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of HCA, has signed on as the first NOAHH “Apprentice” partner for the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project in New Orleans. HCA is one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services with hospitals located throughout Louisiana and Mississippi. Since 2000, HCA has invested nearly three million dollars in Habitat for Humanity, building 49 homes across the United States. Nearly 10,000 HCA employees have volunteered in the effort, taking a one-day break and contributing more than 80,000 volunteer hours from their hospital duties to help hard-working families achieve their dream of home ownership. “HCA’s support of our local efforts means a great deal to our affiliate and our partner families who are waiting to move into their new homes. We appreciate their generosity and support,” stated Pate.

 

"We are also especially pleased to welcome President and Mrs. Carter to the Gulf Coast for this monumental effort," said Mel Lagarde, president of HCA's Delta Division. "The HCA Foundation on behalf of Tulane Medical Center is honored to be able to participate as one of the lead sponsors and we look forward to sharing this occasion with our employees as they continue their support and service to Habitat and the families who will benefit from this special effort."

 

 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed or damaged more than half-a-million houses along the Gulf Coast. According to a 2007 RAND Corporation study, 72 percent of all houses in Orleans Parish, Louisiana which includes New Orleans, were damaged. This does not include the parishes of St. Bernard, St. Charles, Plaquemines or Jefferson which NOAHH also serves.

 

“Our commitment to the New Orleans area has never been stronger,” added Pate. “There is much to be done and we are committed to doing our part to help displaced New Orleanians.”

 

NOAHH’s building efforts are concentrated on the Upper Ninth Ward, Hollygrove, Central City, St. Bernard Parish, Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish. These neighborhoods are all in need of housing opportunities and through key partnerships, NOAHH is able to make home ownership affordable for many families.

 

Since the devastation of the city by wind and water during Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent levee failures, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) has become the leading homebuilder and one of the foremost forces of recovery of the city. Post Katrina, NOAHH has built over 100 houses, with 160 more under construction. With a goal of completing 180 houses this year, NOAHH is growing at an exponential rate. Over 60,000 volunteers have flocked to New Orleans to do their part. In 2006, NOAHH pulled 12% of all single family residential new construction building permits (60 pulled out of total 513) – the largest single applicant both for-profit and non-profit.

 

About  The HCA Foundation

The HCA Foundation is the philanthropic arm of HCA, one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services, which operates 169 hospitals and 108 freestanding surgery centers in 20 states and England (including eight hospitals and nine freestanding surgery centers operated through equity method joint ventures) with approximately 186,000 employees. HCA’s Delta Division operates hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi, including Tulane Medical Center, Tulane-Lakeside Hospital, Lakeview Regional Medical Center (Covington, Louisiana) and Garden Park Medical Center (Gulfport, Mississippi). The HCA Foundation's mission is to promote health and well being and support childhood and youth development. In partnership with the employees of HCA, The HCA Foundation seeks to accomplish its mission by providing leadership, service and financial support to non-profit organizations effectively engaged in addressing local needs.

 

25 Years of Building with the Carters
Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, have been helping Habitat for Humanity shine the spotlight on the need for affordable housing since 1984. That year, the Carters led a small team of Habitat volunteers to New York City to help renovate a six-story apartment building with 19 families in need of decent, affordable shelter. A quarter of a century later, that modest effort has grown into an internationally-recognized annual event that has taken place in communities around the world.

 

About Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of elimina ting poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built more than 250,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 1 million people. For more information, visit www.habitat.org.

 

About New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH), an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. NOAHH builds new houses in partnership with sponsors, volunteers, communities, and homeowner families to eliminate poverty housing in the New Orleans area while serving as a catalyst to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Since its inception in 1983 NOAHH has built over 200 new homes for low-income families in need of adequate shelter. In the next five years, NOAHH plans to build 1,500 homes in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines Parishes. www.habitat-nola.org