Progress so far
9,000 volunteers
500 houses gutted
2 new homes built in Central City;
3 homes renovated in Chalmette;
1 playground built;
In 2006, BBC assisted 818 people by providing volunteer construction labor as well as free-of-charge appliances, furniture, construction materials, gift cards, and payment of utility bills.
In 2006, BBC's one Case Manager conducted 346 interviews and made 148 home visits.
About Revive New Orleans
Building Better Communities is a nonprofit dedicated not only to the rebuilding of homes in the devastated city of New Orleans, but also to the rebuilding of the lives of the residents of the Crescent City.
BBC was established by Journey Christian Church in March, 2005, originally to feed the homeless through partnerships with local churches and organizations in the New Orleans area. In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it became a hub of the relief effort. Returning home to New Orleans is a confusing and extremely difficult task. Lives have been shattered beyond imagination, with people's entire support system washed away.
In reaching out to those who are trying to bring back their homes, BBC seeks to provide the material, emotional, and spiritual assistance families need to get back on their feet.
Working in partnership with multiple organizations, our role is to help people evaluate their situation, and then connect them to the resources that can repair their homes. We walk families through the difficult process of applying for aid, link them with their neighborhood churches and other organizations, provide them with financial, spiritual, and emotional counseling, and give direct assistance in the form of sheet rock, kitchen cabinets, toilets and sinks, refrigerators and stoves, essential furniture, and household goods.
North America has never before experienced a disaster on the scale of Hurricane Katrina. As a result, never has the need for people to come together been greater.
To facilitate this, in 2007 our goal was to establish the first two of perhaps ultimately a dozen neighborhood centers where individuals and families can find the encouragement, services, and help that they need to create wholesome, caring, supportive communities.
Your gifts and grants to Building Better Communities are tax deductible and may be made through this website.
Teams of volunteers from all over the United States have been gutting homes in New Orleans, donating 3,000,000 hours of labor since the hurricane. Their efforts have saved residents over a million dollars in fees for demolition and debris cleanup. Over 3000 volunteers have been housed and fed at BBC’s facilities in East New Orleans in the past year.
Isaiah 58:12
"Those from among you shall build the old waste places. You shall raise up the foundations of many generations. And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In." – Isaiah 58:12