Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity

Eighteen months after Hurricane Katrina, there is still considerable rebuilding to be done along the gulf coast.  During January and February, 200 Twin Cities Habitat staff and volunteers participated in a “blitz build” project that built four homes in Irvington, a 21-home Habitat for Humanity development in Mobile County, Alabama.  The project is part of Habitat for Humanity’s Operation Home Delivery (OHD) effort.

One of the hardest hit areas of Mobile County was the Bayou La Batre, and many of the displaced families will be moving into the Irvington development, chosen for its close proximity to the bayou.  At the end of the 1800’s, the bayou was a resort area.  A series of major floods in the early 20th century devastated the area, and the tourist industry left.  In its place sprang a close-knit village, where over the years shrimpers have made a modest income for their families.  Eighty-five percent of the local economy relies on the shrimping industry.  

While pockets of Mobile County were devastated by Hurricane Katrina, much of the area was left intact.  As a result, the county saw a huge influx of displaced residents from harder hits areas along the gulf coast.  Due to supply and demand, as well as insurance hikes, rental prices almost doubled and realty costs skyrocketed.   Many families were displaced from their homes, not because of flooding, but because they could no longer afford the housing.

“This has severely impacted access to safe, decent, affordable housing in the area. Many families have no affordable housing options available to them. They are forced to stay in substandard conditions or live with friends or family members,” said Courtney Rouse, family service manager, Habitat for Humanity of Mobile County.

Supplies and volunteers have come from all over the country to help with the rebuilding efforts in Mobile. The Mobile Habitat affiliate is on schedule to complete 38 homes this construction season – 15 of which were sent by Twin Cities Habitat.  Throughout December, the Dakota Crew, a group of regular Twin Cities volunteers, assembled the wall panels that were sent to Mobile by truck.  Six members of the crew decided to volunteer for the Mobile trip. 

“It’s been an incredible opportunity and experience for us to have followed it through from the beginning until the end,” said Bill Norquist, a Dakota Crew volunteer. 

By this summer, Habitat for Humanity International’s OHD program expects to have built 1,000 houses along the Gulf.  To date, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity has engaged over 450 volunteers, staff and AmeriCorps members in relief efforts, resulting in four homes sent to Louisiana and 15 homes to Alabama.

Contributed by Sharon Rolenc