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What we build: So much more than houses

Building and repairing homes has always been our identity. In fact, we are very grateful to all those who helped Habitat for Humanity serve almost 75,000 families worldwide last year-almost triple the number of five years ago. But the heart of Habitat is not bricks and sticks. It is the desire to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ by reaching out to help those in need of a better place to live. When we ask, "What will you build?" there are so many answers, because we build so much more than houses.

Hope can only move on Disaster is a starting point. It's the beginning of a story about recovery, about resilience, about reclaiming inch by inch what was destroyed in an instant.

Five years ago, on Aug. 29, Hurricane Katrina roared onto the U.S. Gulf Coast, launching a chain of natural and man-made catastrophes that killed more than 1,800 people and did $135 billion in property damages. More than 1 million people were displaced from their homes and livelihoods, setting in motion one of the largest mass migrations in the nation's history.

Less than a month after Katrina, Category

Funds to help build homes in partnership with families affected by hurricanes Katrina and Rita

ATLANTA (August 20, 2009) - Habitat for Humanity will receive a $3,263,565 donation from the People of Qatar to help build houses in partnership with families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

A total of 44 homes will be built by 14 Habitat affiliates located along the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama.

In 2006, Habitat for Humanity International received a $22 million grant from the People of Qatar to help in the long-term

Volunteer Training Program Launches with Disaster Simulation

Kendall Hebert, Director of Public Relations, Louisiana Capital Area Chapter

While many people want to help during disaster relief efforts, having the right training is essential to an effective response. Ready When the Time Comes (RWTC), a new program from the American Red Cross and facilities maintenance supplier Grainger, ensures that volunteers are trained and ready to assist before a disaster strikes in the Baton Rouge area.

On Saturday, April 5, the Ready When

WASHINGTON, Wednesday, April 02, 2008 - The American Red Cross announced today an extension of mental health assistance and other benefits to Hurricane Katrina and Rita survivors living in the hardest-hit areas of southern Louisiana and south Mississippi. These funds, initially set aside to meet the post-disaster emerging needs of hurricane survivors, are being used to bolster existing individual assistance through recovery case management and enhance emotional support initiatives.

"More than two and a half years

Release Number: 1603-745

NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) launched its relocation assistance program in August 2007 to help with moving and transportation costs for families who wanted to return to Louisiana or move into more permanent housing. To date, this program has helped 658 families, another 178 will soon move and tens of thousands more are eligible.

Over 1.2 million households were forced from their homes following hurricanes Katrina and Rita. With recovery well underway in Louisiana, many of those households are ready to come home.

Release Number: HQ-07-042

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding Donald E. Powell, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson and FEMA Administrator R. David Paulison announced today that the temporary housing assistance programs for Gulf Coast hurricane victims have been extended by 18 months until March 1, 2009. The current FEMA extension ends on August 31, 2007.

HUD and FEMA are also working on a plan whereby HUD would take over management of the rental housing program on

A Partner Effort

Church World Service has been stalwart in administering recovery efforts in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi - providing more than $6 million in relief and recovery assistance since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck. CWS-supported long-term recovery groups allow communities to assess and address their own needs by identifying and helping those who can't recover independently. A landmark, $4 million CWS partnership with Habitat for Humanity International allows long-term recovery groups to apply for rebuilding and repair grants of up to $10,000 per home.

NCC Gulf Commission gives governments low marks

New York, February 21, 2007 - On Ash Wednesday, when many Christians around the world begin the season of Lent, a time of self-examination, a special commission of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) issued a report on how local, state and federal government in the Gulf Coast region have contributed to hardships for millions of victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

After more than a half a dozen post-Katrina trips to the Gulf Coast region and extensive on-the-ground analysis, the