A "Volunteer Village" in Biloxi, Miss., has brought two long-haul helpers, Habitat for Humanity and The Salvation Army, together to help in the Gulf Coast rebuilding effort.
Following the 2005 devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Habitat for Humanity started Operation Home Delivery, a task force composed of Habitat veterans, building industry leaders, and corporate executives. This eclectic group is working hand in hand with Habitat affiliates throughout the Gulf region and, as the recovery effort continues, Operation Home Delivery is also coordinating with dozens of other organizations and building on existing partnerships to meet the ongoing needs.
In hard-hit Biloxi, Miss., that partnership birthed Volunteer Village, a base of operations for Habitat workers.
The Salvation Army owned the land, explains Salvation Army Major Rob Vincent, and Habitat for Humanity brought volunteers, materials, expertise, and financial resources to the table. On the grounds of an old stadium in Biloxi, the organizations have built a facility that can house 128 volunteers at a time, explains Operation Home Delivery construction manager Eric Cullen. These volunteers will be part of the plan to build 100 houses each in both Harrison County and Jackson County, Miss., over the coming year.
"Like anything worthwhile, it will take time and effort," Vincent says. The Salvation Army has pledged to partner with Habitat for Humanity in building 500 new homes in Mississippi, where approximately 67,000 homes were destroyed by Katrina.
Though the numbers seem daunting, Vincent maintains that "when we link arms, we become a formidable foe in the reconstruction effort." He also emphasizes that beyond rebuilding houses, the organizations are working together in "rebuilding people."
Vincent explains, "Every destroyed house is a broken family. And you have to understand that many people are still in shock.... It's still 'Day Two' for many people.
"Hurricane Katrina is not 'hot news' anymore. It's part of human nature to look at tragedy and then move on. ... It's difficult to put into words, but what we're faced with [along the Gulf Coast] is very real, and it's still here."
Vincent remains upbeat about the prospects for recovery, even in light of the challenges. He has been on the scene in Biloxi since Sept. 1, 2005, and he has come to know the people of the area very well. "They will build back," he says. "One way or another."
He emphasizes that no one is working alone on the Gulf Coast. He quotes a hand-written sign he saw hanging in a relief tent just days after the storm: "Hurricane Katrina was an act of nature. What we are doing is an act of God."
Making a Difference
Not only large organizations and corporations are partnering with Habitat to rebuild the Gulf Coast. Throughout the world, nearly a quarter of a million donors have given in support of Operation Home Delivery.
Also, in the immediate aftermath of the storms, more than 32,000 volunteers registered online to offer their labor to rebuild. The Operation Home Delivery office anticipates that, for long-term rebuilding, 25 percent of volunteers will be drawn locally from the coastal regions; the remaining 75 percent will come from the volunteer database and other existing Habitat volunteer programs such as Global Village short-term mission trips and Collegiate Challenge school-break building. As of April 2006, already more than 16,000 "out-of-area" volunteers had participated in Gulf Coast rebuilding.
Leigh Powell is the editorial manager for Habitat for Humanity International.
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