New Orleans Habitat - Operation Home Delivery Blog

Barriere Construction Co. cements a bright future for Habitat homeowner

The family of Lionel Thomas and Linda Lewis now has a home to call their own; a house dedication on Saturday, September 8^th marked the start of their new life in a home in the Upper Ninth Ward.  Mr. Thomas, who has worked in the social services field since 1984, is currently an employee of Volunteers for America. A life-long New Orleanian, he grew up on the West Bank and attended Southern University New Orleans from 1975-1980. He said that his favorite thing about the home was the opportunities that it provided for his children.

Bert Wilson of Barriere Construction Company, which sponsored the Thomas partner family house, was present to offer several gifts to celebrate the occasion: cleaning supplies, a Weed Whacker, a microwave oven, and most importantly, the key to the house.

Barriere Construction Company, L.L.C. has been located in New Orleans for 54 years, and provides asphalt and concrete paving services and manages highway and civil construction projects. After Bert Wilson’s daughter participated in building the affiliate’s ISAS house, the company decided to sponsor their first home with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. Over fifty Barriere employees volunteered their time to the construction of the Thomas-Lewis home.

NOAHH, and Schlumberger raise walls for a new home

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity and oil industry technology supply company Schlumberger raised the walls on a new house for the partner family of Cathy Hankton.

Coming from a family of 18 children, Cathy had a large support structure when she had to evacuate the city for Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina forced the family to face unprecedented tribulations, and the wallraising for a new Habitat home is the beginning of her road to happiness and normalcy.

The wall raising event was attended by NOAHH staff and volunteers and Schlumberger representatives. Though this is the first house the company has started in New Orleans, they have also worked with Habitat for Humanity International in India. About 30 Schlumberger employees were on site for the event and will continue to work for the next two weeks to see construction well underway.

Texas Roadhouse raises walls for new homes

Today, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity and Texas Roadhouse helped the Taylor and Johnson families raise the walls on their new homes, provided via the partnership’s Homes-in-a-Box program.

The homeowners are both involved in New Orleans musical heritage. Charles Taylor is a member of the world renowned Mardi Gras Indians, for whom he also makes costumes. He and his new wife Joyce will be living next to Calvin Johnson, who plays tenor sax and studies music at the University of New Orleans. Johnson is also involved in the community as a teacher at the Jewish Day School in New Orleans.

The Louisville, KY, based restaurant chain has completed 4 homes-in-a-box so far and plans to bring over a dozen more. Each restaurant raises $25,000 per house they construct, then ships the homes down to New Orleans, where Texas Roadhouse employees and Habitat volunteers team up to complete the construction.

The company will be bringing 14 other 1,100 square foot homes from 12 other states in the near future.

“Texas Roadhouse is committed to helping rebuild New Orleans,” says G.J. Hart, President and CEO. “Part of our mission is to help communities in times of need so this partnership is a natural fit. Our goal is to fund and build at least 100 homes in our restaurant communities around the country and ship them to New Orleans.

Katrina: Two Years Later...

Two years after Katrina devastated the communities in the Gulf Coast, the hopes and potential of the residents has steadily expanded the mandate of New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. Since Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity has completed 71 houses, and has 133 more houses under construction. Including the 49 'Camp Coastal Partnership' Houses brings the total number of houses finished or started at 253. The houses are located in nine different neighbourhoods, prominent among them being the Musicians Village project in the Upper Ninth Ward.
Additional projects in the pipeline include the Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Work Project slated to start in May 2008.

In addition to these ongoing projects, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, recruited thousands of volunteers who have gutted 2,000- 2,500 homes in St. Bernard Parish project. So far 49,000 individuals have volunteered in NOAHH's rebuilding mission since Hurrican Katrina and the economic impact of the volunteers is a whopping $7,334,194.88!
NOAHH continues to actively seek homeowner families and has distributed 11,520 applications, with 2779 applications submitted so far. 3-6 Partner families are added every week to the program.

All these projects are made possible through the hard work of our Board of Directors, Staff and volunteers as well through donations from individuals, groups, foundations, congregations , organizations and corporations from around the country and around the world.

We express our gratitude to all our supporters and ask for more support in the coming months and years, as we continue to rebuild communities and provide decent shelter for hardworking families. On our side, we shall continue to redouble our efforts, and ensure more and more families achieve their dream of homeownership.

Please also see CNN Katrina Anniversary coverage for additional reportage.

Volunteers worth millions as the city still recovers

I am glad to post this great article by John Pope in Today's Times Picayune newspaper. Its a testament on the growing influence by volunteers from all over the country on New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity's mission of rebuilding New Orleans.

Here are excerpts from the article:

"By rolling up their sleeves to perform tasks such as feeding and sheltering evacuees, tutoring youngsters and gutting and rebuilding houses, about 1.1 million volunteers have contributed services worth nearly $263 million in the two years since Hurricane Katrina hit, according to a federal report released Monday.

Camp Hope has been a haven for thousands of volunteers over the two years since Hurricane Katrina, offering a place to sleep, shower and eat when not working in the community.About 600,000 men and women have donated their time in the storm-stricken area in the past year, 9 percent more than the 550,000 who came in the first year after the storm, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service. That government organization is an umbrella agency for several volunteer groups, including AmeriCorps.

"The generosity of the American people has been overwhelming," said Donald Powell, federal coordinator for rebuilding the Gulf Coast, during a news conference at Beauregard Middle School in Violet. The gathering was held not only to discuss the report, but also to give the shuttered school the temporary name of Camp Hope, a shelter for volunteers that houses about 200 people each week.

The previous Camp Hope had been at a nearby elementary school.

Because the scope of destruction was so vast, volunteer activity will have to continue at this level for at least eight more years, said Jim Pate, Habitat for Humanity's local executive director.

Calling the volunteer turnout "the bright side of the American spirit," Powell said he isn't worried about Katrina fatigue.

"I think that's evident today," he said, gesturing toward about 60 cheering volunteers in the audience."

You can read more on the story here

ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY DEDICATES NEW HABITAT HOME FOR LUGENIA RAPHELL

In the spirit of sisterhood that has driven their organization for nearly 100 years, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has donated their time and resources to the construction of a new home for a victim of Hurricane Katrina. On June 16th,2007 AKA volunteers began building this home in partnership with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) at 8739 Plum Street.

“Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is pleased to underwrite a Habitat for Humanity Home. With the help of Genworth Financial, and through the partnership with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) , we are doing our part to help a family impacted by Hurricane Katrina to get back on its feet,” said Barbara A. McKinzie, Alpha Kappa Alpha's International President.

The house will be dedicated for NOAHH partner Lugenia Raphell, a bank employee who was an evacuee during Hurricane Katrina. Unable to rebuild on her own, she was forced to leave New Orleans until she found her way back to a new home with the help of NOAHH.

“This home will give my parents a place to visit and will help restore some degree of normalcy to our lives,” Lugneia Raphell said. “I look forward to being in my own home again.”

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is America's first Greek-letter organization founded in 1908 by, and for, Black college women. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, it is one of the world's leading service organizations. The sorority serves all mankind through a nucleus of more than 200,000 women in over 975 chapters in the United States, the Caribbean, Canada, Germany, Korea, Japan and Africa. The sorority celebrates its Centennial Celebration in 2008 with a birthday celebration at its founding home – Howard University -- in January 2008; and with its Centennial Conference in July 2008 in Washington D.C. where more than 20,000 members are expected to converge to celebrate its 100-year milestone. For more information on Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, log on to Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority website

North Merrick School community dedicates new home

New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) , along with North Merrick School Community, dedicated a new home to the Shavers family at 1725 Bartholomew Street in New Orleans’ Upper Ninth Ward.

North Merrick School Community raised over $40,000 through Concert for Care, an outdoor music festival started by 11-year-old Nicholas Abbene, a student at the school. Enlisting adults as well as his fellow students, he created the festival to support the Musicians’ Village in New Orleans after learning of the plight of many of the city’s musicians.

Partner family member Tiffany Shavers’ has seen through the dream of her husband, a local musician and father of two before he passed on. He was featured in documentaries on the affects of Hurricane Katrina and played with Hot 8 Brass Band. Shavers said she intended to continue his dream of owning his own home in a stable environment with her new Habitat home.

The Musicians’ Village is the brainchild of Harry Connick, Jr. and Branford Marsalis, who wanted to create a neighborhood that will support the culture and heritage of New Orleans’ music, past, present, and future.

It is the mission of the North Merrick School Community to develop individuals who respect themselves and others, are flexible, open-minded, self-motivated, and capable of relating to and communicating with others. These individuals should be able to function independently and cooperatively, be conversant with technology, have the ability to access, process, as well as analyze data, and be able to solve problems.

Freeport McMoRan and NOAHH begin work in Plaquemines Parish

Freeport McMoRan in partnership with New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH) and the Plaquemines Parish Chapter of NOAHH today has raised the walls on the first New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity home to be built in Plaquemines Parish.

“We are proud to be building in Plaquemines Parish which suffered so much devastation from Hurricane Katrina,” stated Jim Pate, Executive Director, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. “Thankfully we have great partners such as Freeport McMoRan whose funding has made this home possible.”

The location of this first Habitat home will be in the Hayes Subdivision in Port Sulphur, an area heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. “The residents of Plaquemines Parish expressed an interest in having NOAHH begin to build homes in the area to provide the opportunity for affordable home ownership. We are all too glad to start building,” stated Pate.

Construction on this three bedroom, approximately 1,100 square foot home has a tentative completion date at the end of July. All Habitat Partner Families, be chosen on the basis of need for shelter, willingness to partner and family finances. Each three-bedroom, one-bath house is worth $85,000 to $90,000, but families pay roughly $75,000 for them through a 30-year, no-interest loan. Families contribute 350 hours of sweat equity in lieu of a down payment.
Families wanting to apply to become a partner family should contact the Family Services Department of NOAHH at 504-861-2077 or visit the website to begin the application process.

As is customery with all Habitat homes, volunteers are vital to the construction of the home. The use of volunteers allows for the home to be offered at such a low price to the partner families. Anyone interested in volunteering to work on the building crew should contact NOAHH’s Volunteer Services at 504-861-4212 to schedule their time. We ask that volunteers agree to work full-day increments. The day begins at 7:30 with a safety orienntation and ends at 2:30. Construction is anticipated to occur Tuesday through Saturday throughout the building process.

NOAHH has set a goal to build 250 homes in the greater New Orleans area in 2007 and 1,500 homes over the next 3-5 years.

Jimmy Carter helps build 1000th and 1001st Home

Volunteers, donors mark milestone in St. Bernard Parish, La.

Former US President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, joined dozens of other volunteers Monday morning to finish framing a house in the 3300 block of Daniel Street in New Orleans, fulfilling Habitat for Humanity's goal to build 1,000 homes on the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast by the middle of this year.

Having reached the 1,000-house goal, Jonathan Reckford, Habitat's CEO, said the nonprofit organization plans to continue its feverish pace of building as many homes in the region each month, as it built annually before Katrina. In fact, work on its 1,001st house has already begun on a lot next door to the 1,000th house.

"We could have built these houses anywhere along the Gulf Coast, but we wanted to build them here to send a message to the country and the world that there's lots of work to do," Reckford said. "Just look around you."

President and Mrs. Carter also unveiled a new name for the weeklong Habitat building blitz to be held in May 2008, in the Gulf Coast. The weeklong housebuilding event, will henceforth be known as the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. It had been known as the Jimmy Carter Work Project. Every year since 1984, the Carters have dedicated a week to building with Habitat for Humanity.

“He might have put in an hour or two more than I have,” said Mrs. Carter. “After 24 years, I’ve become a fairly accomplished carpenter.”

The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project hopes to bring in thousands of volunteers for the weeklong house blitz in May 08."We hope to inundate this area with volunteers from across the country," said Jimmy Carter. "I've helped build houses all over the world, but the most challenging and gratifying Habitat project that I've ever been involved with is this one."

Jim Pate, Executive Director of New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity , acknowledged Gulf Coast Habitat affiliates “from Mobile to Biloxi and from Covington to New Orleans and Beaumont to Houston” who joined in the wall-raising in recognition of their contribution to reaching to the goal of 1,000 houses before the deadline of June 2007.

“Gulf Coast recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. We’re committing today to the next 1,000 houses to rebuild the Gulf,” said Pate.

House No. 1,000 is earmarked for Crystal Duplessis, 22, a nursing student whose house on Caluda Drive in Violet was destroyed during Katrina.

House dedication

Daisy Griffin (below)displays the keys to her new home on France Street.
On April 24, 2007, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity and BP dedicated the house at 2128 France Street, handing over the keys to its new owner, Daisy Griffin.

Daisy is a true Katrina survivor. When the storm hit, she lost everything at her place on Orleans Street and had to stay in hospitals and hotels before moving in to a FEMA trailer at KOA campground.

“I always dreamed of owning my own home, and I thank God for this opportunity,” said Daisy Griffin.

Marti Gazzie, General Manager of the Gulf Coast and Mid-Continent at BP, represented the company at the gathering, participating in the ceremony of dedication. The ceremony involves the giving of symbolic gifts to the new homeowner: bread, wine, a Bible, flowers, tools, and of course, keys.