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Homeowner Bio
Welcome Home Lewis Family
| April 2, 2010-- Ms. Lauren and her son were welcomed home!
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When Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2006, it marked a continuation of life changes for Lauren Lewis that had begun a year before. She had started her education at Southern University while taking care of her baby boy Tahj. Sadly, Lauren had to quit after her first semester when her aunt died, leaving and Lauren and her family devastated.
“I was crushed,” Lauren says. “After my Auntie passed away my mother and I helped to take care of her three kids along with my son.”
Lauren’s family has always been close-knit and when Katrina was taking aim at New Orleans, Lauren and 46 families members took off on what turned out to be a 16 hour journey to Coleman, Ala.
The family stayed in Coleman for a few weeks and Lauren says the Coleman residents’ hospitality was overwhelming. They helped the family buy necessary supplies and found and paid for places for them to stay.
“The people were awesome,” Lauren says “I didn’t want to leave.”
After a few weeks, Lauren’s family decided to move to Atlanta and then to Houston. Lauren says growing up, she always dreamed of leaving New Orleans for a bigger southern city like Atlanta or Houston.
“In three months I visited both cities and I hated it,” she says. “It wasn’t home.”
What finally, abruptly, brought the family back to New Orleans in August 2006 was another tragedy. Lauren’s grandfather’s remains had been identified in his home; authorities confirmed that he had drowned in the floodwaters.
The first few months being back in the city were painful enough, but their situation was made more difficult because housing was still scarce. Lauren’s grandmother secured a one-bedroom apartment that 18 family members shared.
Eventually everybody began finding work and their own housing again. Lauren and Tahj currently live in an apartment with another relative. Lauren has been working part-time at a beauty salon and started back at college this fall to get her degree in Business Entrepreneurship.
In September, Lauren’s great-grandmother gave her gutted home to Lauren, hoping she would be able to rebuild it and live there with Tahj.
“I was overwhelmed,” Lauren says.” It was just such a blessing!”
But like her great-grandmother, Lauren did not have sufficient funds to rebuild the house, which suffered serious damage in the Katrina floodwaters. She planned to slowly save money to hire a contractor someday.
But one day, Tahj, who is now 6 and attends Akili Charter School in Gentilly, brought home a flier about the St. Bernard Project in his backpack.
“I felt like it was a sign from God,” Lauren says.
And with funding from the Color Purple, Lauren’s dream of providing a real home for her son will finally come true.
“Everything I do is for my son,” Lauren says. “I want my son to know you have to work hard, things don’t come easy.”
But, she says when Tahj gets anxious about moving to a real home and having his own room, Lauren reminds him that God has a plan and that things will come through for them in the end.
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Under Construction
Some of our homes currently under Construction
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Darrell Betha, Mereaux, LA
David Lagrange, Arabi, LA
David Melerine, St Bernard, LA
Deborah Vita, Violet, LA
Debra Brown, Gentilly, LA
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Joyce Guient, New Orleans, LA
Juan Toledo, Arabi, LA
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Sabrina Pacaccio, Violet, LA
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Vanessa Havers, St. Bernard, LA
Velma Lewis, New Orleans, LA
Willie Major, Violet, LA
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