With hundreds of thousands of evacuees from hurricanes Katrina and Rita in housing crisis, HomeAid launched the Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund to build transitional housing for storm victims who were left homeless. The Fund was established in September 2005 through a $3 million donation by Ameriquest Mortgage Company and its affiliates, Argent Mortgage Company and AMC Mortgage Services. HomeAid’s Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund plans to build or renovate six facilities in three states – Texas, Louisiana and Georgia. To date, the program has completed one renovation in New Orleans and broken ground on three other facilities.

Dedicated on March 1, the New Orleans Rescue Mission Women’s Shelter is located on the three-acre site of the historic New Orleans Rescue Mission. The 4,000-square-foot house provides shelter and services for women who were left homeless after Hurricane Katrina. Partners with HomeAid in the rebuilding of the Women’s Shelter included the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans, local homebuilder Toni Wendel of Olde World Builders and Remodelers, LLC, and national building industry companies Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Pella Corporation, James Hardie Building Products, and CalPASC (California Professional Association of Specialty Contractors).

The second New Orleans project – a 4,400-square-foot Family Center – will break ground this month on the site of the New Orleans Rescue Mission. It will be the first post-Katrina sustainable, eco-friendly build for the city. With the help of project partners Tulane University’s School of Architecture and the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans, builder captain JaRoy Construction will lead an extensive team of trade companies in rebuilding the Center by Fall 2006 for families displaced by the hurricane.

In Houston, HomeAid is currently building Wellsprings Village, in conjunction with its Houston chapter and the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA). The project consists of six four-bedroom homes that will serve evacuee women in crisis who have been relocated to Houston from hurricane impacted areas. Wellsprings Village builders include David Weekley Homes and Tilson Home Corporation.

The second Houston project, also being built in conjunction with the HomeAid Houston chapter and the GHBA is a 4,000-square-foot, 16-unit women’s facility for The Mission of Yahweh, built by Doyle Stuckey Homes and Green Mountain Building Company. Both Houston projects are expected to open this summer.

Rebuilding the Gulf Coast region would not be possible without the joint effort of the following building and trade companies: Bassenian/Lagoni Architects; CalPASC; Crestwood Communities; D. Kanter Engineering; David Weekley Homes; Doyle Stuckey Homes; Favot and Shane Companies, Inc.; Georgia-Pacific Corporation; Goodman Manufacturing; Green Mountain Building Company; Homestore.com; James Hardie Building Products; K. Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc.; Masco Corporate Foundation; MBK Homes; Owens Corning Foundation; Pella Corporation; Perez APC; Shea Homes; Shrenk and Petersen Structural Engineers; Suncoast Post-Tension; Taylor Woodrow Homes; and Tilson Home Corporation.

For the latest information on our rebuilding efforts visit www.homeaid.org