HHSF In New Orleans

After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, donors challenged HHSF to be part of the rebuilding effort. Responding to Habitat for Humanity New Orleans's need for skilled volunteers, HHSF sent a crew of staff and AmeriCorps members to New Orleans to build homes for a week in April 2006 and again in February 2007.

The following is an account of their February experience written by James Murray, HHSF Associate Director, and Erin Colton, HHSF Site Supervisor.

"Last year we worked on the first few homes in Musicians' Village, a 70-home development in New Orleans' Upper Ninth Ward. The Musicians' Village, conceived by Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr., is being built in partnership with displaced New Orleans musicians and other qualified homeowner families. When we returned to the site this year, the homes we had worked on--as well as another 30 homes--were complete and families had already moved in. There had been amazing progress!"

"We worked for five days at Musicians' Village and other Habitat for Humanity projects in the Upper Ninth Ward. We saw a wide range of volunteers working alongside us. Some were part of a corporate convention who took a day out of their schedule to build with Habitat for Humanity. Other individuals took as much as a month out of their lives to volunteer full time with the organization. One day there was more than 700 volunteers!"

"When I first arrived in New Orleans, I was taken aback by the extensive destruction of the neighborhoods and thousands of homes, but it was witnessing the struggle of the people of New Orleans that really affected me. Where do you begin? How does a community heal? We saw some people living in homes that were only a shell--lacking insulation and drywall. Hundreds of houses in the surrounding neighborhoods appeared to be abandoned. However, several brave residents were working independently on restoring their homes."

"Habitat for Humanity New Orleans was one of the brightest points and a significant part of rebuilding the city. Habitat for Humanity plans to construct 300 homes in the Ninth Ward alone. The Musicians' Village, in particular, is serving as a model for bringing native residents back to New Orleans."

For more information on Musicians Village: http://www.habitat-nola.org/projects/musicians_village.php

Interested in traveling to New Orleans to build with Habitat?
http://www.habitat-nola.org/volunteer/index.php

Photos taken by Justin August, HHSF AmeriCorps Construction Crew Leader