WATERLOO, ONT, - December 22, 2005 – Habitat for Humanity Canada announced today, as part of its Operation Home Delivery rebuilding program, that it has contributed to the purchase of a plot of land in the Bayou area, just west of New Orleans, that will be used to build approximately 86 Habitat for Humanity homes for those families left devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Construction of the first “House-in-a-Box” to be shipped to the affected region will take place in Ottawa in February 2006 during Winterlude.
Since the hurricanes struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in late August 2005, Habitat for Humanity Canada has received unprecedented support from individuals and organizations wanting to help those families who won’t have a home for the holidays. Operation Home Delivery is a three-phased response program established by Habitat for Humanity International to lead the rebuilding of Hurricane Katrina impacted areas along the Gulf Coast.
“Operation Home Delivery will see Canadians send houses, funds, volunteers and expertise in order to support the long-term rebuilding requirements of our neighbours in need” says David Hughes, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity Canada. “It is a vivid demonstration of how Habitat for Humanity mobilizes resources every day, in 69 communities across Canada, to bring it’s homeownership program to families that need it most.”
Operation Home Delivery will provide support in a number of ways including the “House-in-a-Box” initiative which provides prefabricated housing components for quick and easy assembly in the affected Gulf region; Global Village Teams which will send volunteers to the region to help with reconstruction efforts, and Team Canada Expert Missions which will provide Canadian expertise to those involved in rebuilding homes and revitalizing Habitat for Humanity affiliates within the region.
“The rebuilding of the Gulf Coast and other affected areas is a long and arduous task – this is only the beginning,” says Ken Meinert, Senior Vice President of Operation Home Delivery, Habitat for Humanity International. “Supporting Habitat for Humanity is still the best way to contribute to this cause as we are there for the long haul rebuilding homes and lives in a very tangible way.”
Habitat for Humanity Canada is partnering with Thibodaux, LA-based Bayou Area Habitat for Humanity affiliate, which serves the Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes. In these two parishes 16,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Operation Home Delivery’s most innovative program “House-in-a-Box” will see volunteers and partners from around North America assemble materials needed to build
a house. The homes will be pre-built over a few days and then tacked together to ensure a rock-solid fit. The house frames will be taken apart and shipped with other construction materials in containers to the affected areas along the Gulf Coast where families, volunteers and builders will reassemble the homes.
Habitat for Humanity Canada continues to act as a catalyst for other organizations, corporations, governments and foundations to work together to discuss low-income housing and recovery on a scale that Habitat would not be able to do independently.
“The unprecedented need for housing created by these disasters is forcing public and private builders to consider alternative methods and processes to increase output exponentially” said David Hughes. “The innovations brought to bear on this situation will have long-term positive implications on our ability to meet the housing need here in Canada on a much larger scale”.
To raise awareness of this initiative Habitat for Humanity Canada’s advertising agency Lowe Roche has created a one-page public service advertisement that will appear, free of charge, in a number of Canadian magazines including Western Living, Vancouver Magazine, Reader’s Digest, Style at Home, Maclean’s and Canadian House and Home. The black and white visual of a Canadian stamped envelope forming the structure of a house amidst residential rubble is intended to demonstrate how Canadian donations to Habitat for Humanity are directly supporting the building of homes for those who need them most.
Individuals and corporate partners interested in donating to Habitat’s efforts in the Hurricane Katrina impacted areas can call Habitat’s toll free number at 1-800-667-5137. Habitat for Humanity Canada has also created a link on its Web site, http://www.habitat.ca/ where donations can be made on-line. All monies designated for the Hurricane Katrina Response Fund will be utilized to support “Operation Home Delivery”.
About Operation Home Delivery:
Operation Home Delivery is a rapid-deployment disaster response and rebuilding program providing emergency shelter, transitional and long-term housing solutions. These solutions are timely, appropriate and affordable for communities dealing with crisis as a result of natural and manmade disasters in Canada and abroad.
The program is administered through Habitat for Humanity Canada, and involves numerous partners from the Government of Canada, the private sector, and the relief and development sector - bringing together resources and expertise in a very effective and efficient manner. The collaborative program facilitates early access and involvement, to meet needs in crisis regions where long-term reconstruction efforts will be required. In many cases, Habitat for Humanity’s core homeownership model will have significant potential for expansion.
About Habitat For Humanity Canada:
Habitat for Humanity is an international charitable organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and building strong communities by helping people gain access to affordable and sustainable housing. Founded in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has built more than 200,000 homes in 100 countries around the world.
Habitat for Humanity Canada was founded in 1985, and more than 30,000 volunteers have built over 950 homes to date. There are 69 Canadian affiliates in all 10 provinces and the Yukon and Nunavut Territories, 11 campus chapters and 40 ReStores across Canada.
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For more information, please contact:
Colleen Uncao
MAVERICK for Habitat for Humanity Canada Diane Medeiros
416-640-5525, Ext 244 416-640-5525, Ext. 248
colleenu@maverickpr.com dianem@maverickpr.com
