Make this holiday season about giving, not receiving.

Why suffer the headache of looking for a gift for the person who has everything when you  can help a family  celebrate the holidays in their own home? This year, give your loved ones a donation in their name to Project Homecoming to provide a safe, durable, affordable and environmentally sensitive home to low-income, uninsured, underinsured, disabled, and elderly community members.

When you make a donation in someone’s name, you invest in a family’s future, a community’s growth, and a city’s evolution. Project Homecoming  is reinvesting in the New Orleans community by transforming blighted  properties into thriving facets of the community. By participating in Project  Homecoming’s Homes for Christmas this holiday, you are not only giving  a family a home, but strengthening a community and fighting for the future of a city.

Here’s what your donation could buy:

• $10 – Metal brackets and 1”x10”x4’ shelf
• $25 – 25 tiles- tile a small bathroom floor
• $50 – 5 Gallon Bucket of Paint- Paint a bedroom
• $75 – 1 interior door for a bedroom or bathroom
• $100 – Toilet
• $200 – 1 window
• $300 – Insulate the entire floor of one of our new build homes
• $400 – Bath/shower unit
• $500 – Subfloor for an entire new build home
• $1000 – Drywall for walls and ceilings of new build home
• $2500 – Decking, underlayment    and shingles for the roof of a new build

Donations will be accepted in the form of a check made payable to “Project Homecoming, Inc.” or by paypal, which can be found on our website under the “Donate” tab or on the Donate link below. Once a donation is received, you will be mailed a unique Project Homecoming’s Home for Christmas Card for you to send to your loved one as a thank you for their gracious donation.

Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions made by their employees. Be sure to find out if your company has a matching gift policy.

Donate Here

A youth volunteer from Vancouver, WA, helps put up the first piece to the NSP2 house on Overton Drive. This house marks the first home that will be built by Project Homecoming through NSP2 as well as our first completely new build ever!

By now those who remain up-to-date with all things Project Homecoming know about our new project with the Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2). You might have read our blog last month about a ground breaking ceremony that was held to kick off the program, where over the next two years we will play a vital role in the revitalization of several Gentilly neighborhoods with the construction of 13 single-family, energy efficient and affordable homes.

Well, we are proud to say that this week we began building the first of those thirteen homes!

The soon-to-be home is located at4733 Overton Drive in the Mirabeau Gardens subdivision of Gentilly. Not only will this house start off NSP2, but it is also the first completely new build for Project Homecoming. With the help from our volunteers fromVancouver,WA, Chris Beck, the work site manager on the Overton house, was able to lay down the first pieces this week. Beck says, “The NSP2 program is the start of something very exciting for not only Project Homecoming, but for the city ofNew Orleans as well. While rebuilds were an important part of our organization, and will continue to be, this project marks the beginning of our involvement in the investment of this city’s future, and I am extremely excited and blessed to be a part of that process.” The building of the house will most likely continue through the fall with the help from Project Homecoming volunteers.

All Project Homecoming homes built under NSP2 will be for sale for those who qualify with our specifications. Programs will be available to assist potential home owners in buying a home. Those applicable may qualify for up to $65,000 in soft second mortgage assistance, bringing home price down to as low as $90,000. Homebuyers will receive homebuyer training, financial counseling, home-maintenance training, and three and six month homebuyer checkups. Potential homeowners must be at or below 80% Area Median Income for Orleans Parish. Priority will be given to residents living in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina.

For more information about purchasing a Project Homecoming home, contact Susan Reinhardt at (504) 942-0444 x 243 (office) or email at susan@projecthomecoming.net.

As we gear up for the end of summer, we also must conclude our 2010-2011 AmeriCorps service year. We were fortunate to work with 8 full time AmeriCorps members from September 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011.

The AmeriCorps members who worked with us were either part of the Louisiana Delta Service Corps or the Trinity Christian Community programs. All of our AmeriCorps members have shown amazing dedication and an outstanding work ethic. As an AmeriCorps, one must work as a volunteer with a modest living stipend for a year to total 1,700 hours of work. All 8 of our AmeriCorps brought different skills and qualities to our organization in various job positions.

We’d like to thank Alex Marino, Audrey Smith, Chris Beck, James Murray, and Marta Jewson for being our fearless work site managers for this service year. Being a work site manager is a laborious task which requires construction knowledge and a great deal of patience. They are out in the field working on our houses, rebuilding and teaching volunteers construction work.

Our ever so organized warehouse manager, Ben Manuel, worked diligently to keep track of all of our tools, which is no easy task when there could be more than 10 work sites in one day. Not only did he manage the warehouse, he took on additional work by becoming our unofficial IT personnel.

This year brought many changes to Project Homecoming, including the acquiring of operations of the volunteer housing facility Olive Tree. One of our AmeriCorps members, Kelly Sharkey, worked to manage Olive Tree while our volunteers stayed with us for a week at a time. She also scheduled week long trips for volunteer groups and communicated with group leaders prior to their trip.

Last but not least, we’d like to thank Sarah Green, our community liaison, who became our voice in various communities throughoutNew Orleans. Among all of the other work she completed, she helped the Bunny Friend Neighborhood Association begin work on a citrus grove on a vacant lot. She also played a major role in helping Project Homecoming receive the Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2) grant.

We’re so proud to have had all of you work with us this service year! We know that wherever you’re path goes, you all will do great things in the world! Congrats on a job well done!

What is AmeriCorps?

AmeriCorps is a national organization that offers 75,000 opportunities for adults of all ages and backgrounds to serve through nonprofit groups throughout the country. Service programs range from rebuilding homes to tutoring youth. AmeriCorps members address critical needs in communities all across America. There are three different types of AmeriCorps: VISTA, NCCC, and State & National.

AmeriCorps NCCC is a team based, 10 month, residential national service program for adults ages 18-24. The program assigns members to one of five campuses, located in Denver, Colorado; Sacramento, California; Perry Point, Maryland; Vicksburg, Mississippi; and Vinton, Iowa. Each campus is known as a class. Each class is then divided into units and then units are divided into teams of 8-12 people. For example, the Vicksburg campus 2010-2011 summer class was divided into Delta and River units and then divided into 7 teams per unit. Project Homecoming is fortunate to receive AmeriCorps NCCC teams for parts of the year.

AmeriCorps Sate and National, the largest AmeriCorps program, places young people in organizations for an 11-month term, fulfilling 1,700 hours of service. These members work with a wide range of organizations from construction to education. Members receive a modest living stipend of $11,800 and a $5,350 education award upon completion of the full service year. Year long AmeriCorps volunteers who work with Project Homecoming are part of the State and National program.

AmeriCorps VISTA members live and serve in some of our nation’s poorest urban and rural areas. They create or expand programs designed to bring individuals and communities out of poverty. These members usually focus their efforts on building the organizational, administrative, and financial capacity of organizations that work in education, health services, economic development, and low-income communities.  VISTAs develop programs to meet a need, write grants, and recruit and train volunteers.

What does it mean to be a Project Homecoming AmeriCorps member?

Project Homecoming has several positions through the State and National program for candidates wishing to serve our rebuilding and recovery initiative in the Greater New Orleans area.

Successful applicants will be working with Project Homecoming staff as Americorps members to supervise volunteer work crews in rebuilding hurricane-damaged homes, constructing new affordable homes, and engaging in community development initiatives.  Our clients are low- and very low-income, disabled, senior citizens and/or disabled persons who have limited resources to rebuild on their own. Americorps members will commit themselves to facilitating a culture of care in targeted communities through: safe, durable, affordable, and  environmentally sensitive construction; community driven partnerships; service and fellowship.

What are the benefits of doing AmeriCorps through Project Homecoming?

These Americorps positions are for 11 months beginning September 1, 2011. AmeriCorps members must be at least 18 years of age, have a high school diploma or GED, and no felonies. All AmeriCorps members are offered a living stipend of $1,100 per month as well as an additional $400 a month housing stipend from Project Homecoming.   Americorps members may also be eligible for up to $200 a month in food stamp assistance. Members will receive an education award of $5,350 upon completion of service.  This money can be used to pay off existing student loans or for future education.  Americorps members also receive health insurance, child care reimbursement, student loan forbearance, extensive training, and networking opportunities.

What positions are available at Project Homecoming?

Right now we are taking applications for Work Site Managers and a Warehouse Manager.

Worksite managers will work under the supervision of a Construction Manager. Worksite  managers directly train and supervise weekly volunteers for  rebuilding hurricane-damaged homes and construction of new for-sale housing, for low income  households in distressed neighborhoods.

The warehouse manager work under the supervision of the Operations Director to organize, track and distribute the tools, vehicles and materials kept in Project Homecoming’s warehouse facility for use in the rebuilding of storm damaged homes and the building of new homes.

Applications must be received by July 31,2011. You can learn more about these positions as well as download an application on our 2011-2012 AmeriCorps Positions page.

Last week Olive Tree and Project Homecoming welcomed a group from Fernandina Beach, FL to work with us to rebuild homes. The group documented every part of their trip on an online blog. For a personal look at the Project Homecoming volunteer experience, check out the link below.

Fernandina Beach Project Homecoming Blog

If you have volunteered with us in the past and documented your trip in a blog, send us the link to villagemanager@projecthomecoming.net. Maybe you’ll see your blog here next week!

Last Friday, June 3, 2011, Project Homecoming broke ground on the Gentilly Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP2) at a ceremony that took place at 4733 Overton Drive, the site of their first new construction home built through NSP2. Over the next two years, Project Homecoming will play a vital role in the revitalization of several Gentilly neighborhoods with the construction of 13 single-family, energy efficient and affordable homes.

“Project Homecoming is committed to working in partnership with neighborhoods as we rebuild our city better and stronger,” says Jean Marie Peacock, Executive Director of Project Homecoming. “This groundbreaking will lead to the transformation of 13 hurricane damaged properties into beautiful homes that will strengthen the recovery of two neighborhoods in Gentilly.”

The thirteen homes constructed over the next two years in the Gentilly neighborhoods of Mirabeau Gardens and Paris Oaks will provide affordable and sustainable housing options, and residents are excited about the new development in their neighborhoods. “The residents of Mirabeau Gardens really appreciate the opportunities that were afforded to them by the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority and Project Homecoming to provide feedback and opinions in the entire process- from choosing the contractors for the NSP2 homes to the designs of the homes that are to be built in our neighborhood,” said Betty Muller, President of the Mirabeau Gardens Neighborhood Association. “We are looking forward to welcoming new neighbors and hope that they will take an active interest and will participate in all neighborhood functions.”

Eleven of the thirteen homes will be new construction, designed by local architecture firm Perez APC, and two will be full rehabilitations of existing structures. All thirteen homes will be extremely energy-efficient, with green amenities including bamboo floors, soy-based spray foam insulation, Energy Star appliances and tankless hot water heaters, among others. “These houses will have a green focus, building in an affordable, sustainable way. The homeowners are not going to have to worry about their houses for years to come,” said Kevin Krejci, Project Homecoming’s Operations Director.

Ron Sutto (General Presbyter, Presbyery of South Louisiana), Jean Marie Peacock (Executive Director, Project Homecoming), Ommeed Sathe, (Director of Real Estate Development, The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority), Jonathon O’Rear (Project Manager, Perez Architecture APC), Betty Muller (President, Mirabeau Gardens Neighborhood Association) and Marva Adams (President, Paris Oaks/ Bayou Vista Neighborhood Association) all spoke briefly and got their hands dirty by breaking ground at the ceremony.

For more information about purchasing a Project Homecoming home, contact Susan Reinhardt at (504) 942-0444 x 243 (office) or email at susan@projecthomecoming.net.

We hold in prayer the many people who live and work along the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Cities, towns, and rural areas upriver from New Orleans have already been impacted by the record volume of water flowing through this riverine system.

Here in New Orleans we are still dry and safe. Our City Council is holding on-going planning sessions to address the threat posed by high river levels. This week the Bonnet Carre Spillway opened several of its bays to re-direct water from the Mississippi River into Lake Pontchartrain. This is already slowing the speed of the water and lowering the river’s height. Today Louisiana Governor Jindal announced that the Army Corps of Engineers will make a decision on whether or not to open the Morganza Spillway by this weekend. If opened, this will divert a much greater volume of water from the Mississippi into the Atchafalaya River Basin, further slowing the speed of water headed towards New Orleans and dropping the expected river level by 2 feet.

We do not anticipate flooding in New Orleans, and we do not feel that volunteer groups who are scheduled to work with us in the coming months have any reason to change their plans.

We will advise all scheduled volunteer groups’ team leaders as soon as possible if this situation changes.

Thank you from all of us in the Crescent City!
The Project Homecoming Team

Spring has rolled in and summer is just around the corner. Coming this July, Project Homecoming will have our first ever Summer Youth Program. We will be hosting middle and high school aged youth groups throughout the entire month of July. The program will include construction projects on homes across New Orleans as well as reflective activities in the evening. We have set up meaningful projects and make sure our participants have the resources needed to complete the work.

Our staff is dedicated to the spiritual development that takes place through mission work. We have developed a program of work, recreation, and spiritual reflection that will center around the mission here in New Orleans. Time is allotted for individual, large group, and church group time to help facilitate discussion.

Work projects will range from light construction to community projects like planting community gardens and painting schools. Projects will be age and skill appropriate. All project teams will have a Project Homecoming staff member working with them to ensure safety, effectiveness, and fun!

Project Homecoming is recruiting three summer staff committed to the goal of rebuilding New Orleans’ distressed neighborhoods and transforming lives.  Staff will live on-site at the Olive Tree Volunteer Village and work closely with youth volunteers at the village and at worksites throughout the community. If you are interested in applying for our Summer Youth staff position, look for the application on our website, www.projecthomecoming.net.

Carnival season is over. Mardi Gras has come and gone. A fresh supply of stranded beads hang from the trees along St. Charles Avenue.  While most of the city shut down for days leading up to the holiday, Project Homecoming kept its doors open, putting volunteers from all over the country to work for the majority of the week. Volunteers even dragged their tired bodies to parades after their work day but they were allowed to put down their tools all day Tuesday to enjoy the Mardi Gras festivities.

We are proud to boast that our volunteers from the University of Michigan were lucky enough to receive three coveted shoes from the Krewe of Muses on Thursday, March 3. For those of you who are not Mardi Gras connoisseurs, the Krewe of Muses parade is an all female Krewe that routes itself Uptown to the French Quarter. The female members lavishly decorate various types of shoes which they exclusively hand off to parade goers. It is quite a coveted prize and many Mardi Gras regulars wait years to claim a shoe.

The volunteers the following week did not go home empty handed either. They received three coconuts, or “Golden Nuggets,” from the Krewe of Zulu. The Zulu parade starts bright and early on Mardi Gras day. Although Zulu “Golden Nuggets” are not as scarce as Muses shoes, it is the most famous and historical Mardi Gras throws in New Orleans. Each coconut is uniquely decorated and specifically handed out to parade goers.

All in all, Mardi Gras week was packed with fun and hard work. We are grateful for all the hard work our volunteers put forth during a week where New Orleans is filled with chaos and debauchery.

Former Project Homecoming construction site manager, Lisa Webb, reflects on rebuilding Catherine Warrick's home. Catherine was welcomed home by her family, neighbors, Project Homecoming staff and volunteers on Friday, January 28, 2011.

Last Friday, Project Homecoming had the honor and privilege to welcome Catherine Warrick back to her home. The dedication celebrated the hard work and commitment that was put into the completion of Catherine’s home. After 5 years, we are happy to have her back in the home where so many memories were made and will continue to be made.

Catherine Warrick has lived in her home, located on Cartier St. in the Gentilly neighborhood, since 1972. Following Hurricane Katrina, Catherine moved into a retirement community in the Westbank. She was hesitant to use the money she received from the Road Home program, fearing that she would be yet another victim of contractor fraud. Her desire to come back to the home where she raised her children drove her to look into Project Homecoming. Catherine was a prime candidate and we were able to use the money she saved from the Road Home program to completely rebuild her home. Catherine can now enjoy her retirement in her beautifully renovated home with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

There were many people who attended the dedication, including the Warrick family, Project Homecoming staff, and volunteers from all over the country. Gifts were graciously given to Catherine, including bathroom towels and accessories from the Presbyterian Women organization. Everyone who attended the dedication enjoyed the great weather and delicious food while welcoming Catherine Warrick back to her home.