September 7, 2005 —As the nation musters renewed energy to relieve the human suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina, our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the disaster.

NeighborWorks America is deeply committed to rebuilding the communities along the Gulf Coast. Working together with our local affiliates and neighborhood residents, and leveraging resources of our various private and public partners, NeighborWorks is committed to the nation’s effort to rebuild the region particularly in communities of modest economic means.

For the short-term, NeighborWorks organizations are aiding evacuees in the disaster area, providing emergency aid including housing assistance in some cases. Because of our long commitment to and presence in the region, NeighborWorks affiliates in the South quickly identified more than 100 housing units where low- and moderate-income people who have lost their homes can live.

NeighborWorks will also provide emergency grant assistance to the Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans to restart operations as soon as possible, as well as organizations in other areas damaged by Katrina or supporting evacuees from those areas. The $275,000 in emergency expendable fund grants have been allocated as follows:

• NHS of New Orleans (New Orleans, LA)
  $100,000
• The IMPACT! Group (Duluth, GA)
  60,000
• Voice of Calvary Ministries (Jackson, MS)
  75,000
• Centro Campesino Farmworker Center (Florida City, FL)
  10,000
• Miami-Dade NHS (Miami, FL)
  10,000
• CSP of West Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)
  20,000
  

The affiliates will use these funds to provide emergency shelters, temporary housing, basic supplies, and similar support for Gulf Coast evacuees. Additionally, a portion of the funds will go toward operational and housing assistance costs. It is our hope that these grants will aid efforts to restore the Gulf Coast and rebuild this important community.

This is just the start of what will be a years long-rebuilding effort. NeighborWorks will mobilize our existing network, providing expertise in housing rehabilitation, economic development, counseling, mortgage lending, multifamily development, construction and community organizing. We remain committed for the long haul to rebuild and rehabilitate housing, promote economic development in the low-to-moderate income neighborhoods where we have expertise, and nurture community leadership.

All too often, natural disasters seem to hit disproportionately the most vulnerable and impoverished Americans. NeighborWorks America is committed to using our resources to provide ongoing and long-term assistance to communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

NeighborWorks America will work with our network, and our corporate, federal, and non-profit foundation partners to provide expertise and rebuild not just houses, but homes, not just streets but communities, and not just people’s lives, but leaders who will create new momentum to redevelop their neighborhoods.

Note: Members of the NeighborWorks Network, please log in to http://member.nw.org to post information on your specific needs and hurricane relief activities.