Our mission is to remove barriers for families who wish to move back into their homes in Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes. To carry out this mission, SBP has established a Volunteer Driven Rebuilding Program, an Opportunity Housing Program, a Good Work Good Pay (GWGP) Program and a Center for Wellness and Mental Health. Thanks to our many donors, volunteers and sponsors we are able to rebuild a home in 12 weeks for the low average cost of $20,000. And yes, we are a 501(c)(3), so all donations are tax deductible.

It costs on average $15,000 to complete volunteer labor on a home in about 12 weeks. Our rebuilding costs are low because most of the labor is provided by volunteers.

We receive donations from volunteers, faith-based groups and individuals and grants from foundations, corporations and civic groups. Some of our significant donors include the United Way, GE Foundation, Tide, Starfish Group, Newman’s Own Foundation, Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way, Winn Dixie, Entergy, and the Braveheart Foundation.

No, we are not. St. Bernard is the name of the parish (county) where we originated and does not hold any religious affiliation. However, we do have strong relationships with faith-based groups.

SBP partners with AmeriCorps*NCCC, AmeriCorps*State, AmeriCorps*VISTA, Church of the Brethren, Christian Aid Ministries, One Brick, Habitat for Humanity, St. Bernard Parish Government, and many faith-based groups, businesses, families and individuals to achieve our mission.

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There are three key ingredients to our recipe for success: tools, volunteers and funds. When supplied with these three catalysts, SBP’s rebuilding efforts are continuously expedited and more families are returned home.

Homeowners in St. Bernard Parish who do not have adequate funds to hire a contractor to rebuild their home can apply to the St. Bernard Project for help. Applicants complete an application, are interviewed by St. Bernard Project staff andpresent documents to verify their need. We give special priority to senior citizens, the disabled and families with young children.

The homeowner and a construction manager develop a rebuilding plan for the house. Clients select the colors of the cabinets and countertop, flooring, bathroom fixtures and appliances. All other materials used in the home are standard materials that are used on every client’s house. The site supervisor coordinates the volunteers, materials and tools that are needed to carry out this rebuilding plan.

Roughly, the process is as follows:

1. Volunteers treat the house for mold
2. Volunteers repair/replace the roof, windows and exterior doors as needed
3. Staff (and sometimes volunteers) electricians and plumbers install the rough wires and pipes. House is inspected by Parish inspectors
4. Volunteers install the insulation and drywall and then texture and paint the walls
5. Volunteers install the flooring, baseboard, window trim and interior doors
6. Staff (and sometimes volunteers) carpenter install the kitchen cabinets and countertops
7. Staff (and sometimes volunteers) electricians and plumbers install the final pieces: toilets, fixtures, switches, sinks, and appliances
8. House is inspected by Parish inspectors
9. Client calls power and water companies to start service
10. Client moves homes!

St. Bernard Parish is an industrious community comprised of middle class and working class families. It is a community of veterans, of people who hold potluck dinners to benefit disaster victims elsewhere, an area where local fishermen and shrimpers give part of their daily catch to the less fortunate. Generations of families lived within blocks of one another. And neighbors could trace their friendships back to their grandparents and beyond.

For most, all savings were tied up in their homes. In the years before Katrina, insurance companies rezoned St Bernard out of the flood plain, so most residents no longer had flood insurance after decades of paying for it. Then Katrina hit, and the people of St Bernard lost everything. Seventy-five percent of families were under- or uninsured.

The first rescue crews into the Parish, five days after the storm, were the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Residents felt abandoned by the government for which they had fought and in which they had believed. From their time in the military, they know the United States can show up in force anywhere on the planet within three days, yet after five days, they had to be rescued by caring folks from another country.

After two weeks, the water was gone as were neighbors, friends, and family, but people wanted to come back. There are no beautiful mountains here. No lakes or beaches. No stunning vistas, yet the residents have endured heartbreak and tribulation in their effort to return. It may seem odd until one meets them and spends a few days in their midst. The community, camaraderie, and courage in St Bernard are something most of the rest of the United States dreams of but cannot find. Having known it, the people of this parish won’t let it go easily. And having known them, we cannot let that happen either.

• The population was 67,000 and the Parish had 27,000 homes and 14,000 businesses.
• Unemployment was only 4%.
• Home ownership rate was greater than 70%.
• Median family income was $36K.
• Senior citizens comprised 50% percent of the population prior to the storm.
• Residents worked as fishermen, in the trades, and at refineries.

• 100% of the homes in St. Bernard Parish were rendered uninhabitable.
• St. Bernard Parish had standing water of 4 to 20 feet for up to 4 weeks.
• Homes, clothes, furniture, pictures, keepsakes, cars and tools were destroyed.
• A little over half the population has returned.
• Big businesses are starting to emerge nearly five years later (Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.).
• Tens of thousands of families in the Greater New Orleans area still can’t afford housing and have to compromise with expensive substandard living conditions.

Renters in the area were some of the most vulnerable members of the community in the aftermath of the hurricanes. Many of our clients, because they were renting, had no insurance on their personal property. Renters lost everything too, but they had no safety net. The St. Bernard Project believes that getting these families to be first-time homeowners is vital to the rebuilding efforts in St. Bernard Parish. Not only will these families help rebuild the neighborhoods where their homes are located, but they will also become rooted members of the community with a vested interest in the community.

Liz McCartney and Zack Rosenburg founded the St. Bernard Project in March 2006 after volunteering in St. Bernard after the storm. During that time, they met many hardworking residents who were determined to move back home but lacked the financial resources to rebuild their homes. They returned to St. Bernard Parish in June 2006 and began working on their first client’s home in August 2006. Since that time they have evolved into a thriving rebuilding organization that has helped over 120 families move back into their homes.