Community Organizations
Rebuilding Together New Orleans
Contact info
For general information, call 504.581.7032
To volunteer, contact us by email
at or call 504.636.3058
Website: http://www.rtno.org
Services Offered
Neighborhoods Served:
• Broadmoor
• HollyGrove
• Holy Cross
• Seventh Ward
• Sixth Ward / Treme / Lafitte
• St. Roch
Planning District:
1
Council Representative:
Arnie Fielkow, Jackie Clarkson
Police Precinct:
0
President / Director:
Jon Skvarka
Mission:
Who we are: Rebuilding Together New Orleans (RTNO) is a program of the Preservation Resoruce Center of New Orleans and an affiliate of the national non-profit organization Rebuilding Together, Inc. Utilizing both professional services and volunteer labor, Rebuilding Together helps low-income families in neighborhoods throughout New Orleans live in warmth, safety, and dignity. RTNO believes that by reinvesting in and restoring the existing housing stock of the city, we can bring homeowners displaced by Hurricane Katrina back to their former homes, as well as provide a model for restoring and preserving New Orleans’ historic neighborhoods.
Who we serve: RTNO provides assistance to current homeowners in select neighborhoods throughout Orleans Parish who make less than 80% of the area median income as determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Priority is given to those who are 60 years of age or older, disabled, single guardians of minor children, first responders, or veterans.
Where we serve: A large part of RTNO’s success is made possible through a collaboration with local neighborhood associations. Partnering with local neighborhood associations, RTNO now serves nine New Orleans communities: Algiers Riverview (Westbank), Broadmoor, Esplanade Ridge/Treme, Faubourg St. Roch, Gentilly, Hollygrove, the Lower Ninth Ward, McClendonville (Westbank), and Mid-City.
History and accomplishments: RTNO has been operating in New Orleans since 1988 and completed almost 1000 projects before Hurricane Katrina in 2005. After the storm, RTNO expanded its mission from an annual volunteer event to a continuous rebuilding effort. Since 2005, RTNO has rebuilt more than 320 homes. More than 18,000 volunteers from around the country have come to New Orleans to work on RTNO projects providing over 400,000 labor hours worth $8 million in market value.
Current Priorities:
- Blight and Code Enforcement
- Housing
- Quality of Life, Preservation, and Zoning
- Resident Case Management
For More Info:
For general information, call 504.581.7032 or email us at .
November 10th 2008
RT works with Starbucks on Community Service Projects
As part of their 2008 Leadership Conference, 4,000 Starbucks partners (employees) will be participating in community service projects with Rebuilding Together New Orleans in the Hollygrove and Broadmoor neighborhoods. These events, which will take place October 27th – 30th, are part of a city-wide 10,000 volunteer effort, representing the largest community service project in the history of New Orleans.
“Not only is New Orleans a wonderful host for our conference, but we can also work with its citizens to help rebuild community in this historic and culturally rich city,” said Rodney Hines, Starbucks director of community investments.
Rebuilding Together New Orleans will lead Starbucks partners in scraping and painting the exterior of 31 homes and landscaping and clearing blighted lots. These efforts are managed in partnership with Trinity Christian Community, the Broadmoor Improvement Association, the Carrollton-Hollygrove CDC, and the New Orleans Food and Farm Network. In addition, the volunteers will plant 1000 trees throughout Broadmoor and Hollygrove under the guidance of Hike for KaTREEna.
Starbucks is also providing project support funding to Rebuilding Together New Orleans. “This partnership is a huge sign of progress for both Rebuilding Together and the city as a whole. It shows a commitment on the part of Starbucks to the cultural and economic importance of New Orleans,” says Kristin Gisleson Palmer, Director of Rebuilding Together. “The effects of this partnership will be felt in the long and short term and we are very excited to play such an important role in this project.”
October 16th 2008
RTNO's October Build a Success
On the weekends of October 3rd and 10th, an army of local volunteers descended on five of New Orleans’ neighborhoods as part of Rebuilding Together’s 20th annual October Build (formerly Christmas in October). Equipped with scrapers, paint brushes, caulk guns, and buzz saws, the 700 volunteers threw themselves into the rebuilding of New Orleans. This year, with an increased support staff of AmeriCorps volunteers, Rebuilding Together wanted to reach more homeowners than the previous year. With the help of 25 teams, the homes of 28 elderly homeowners throughout the city of New Orleans received 22,400 hours of volunteer labor, representing one of the largest weekend rebuilding efforts in the city since Katrina.
Volunteer teams comprised of corporations, nonprofits, and groups of friends were spread throughout New Orleans in Rebuilding Together’s targeted neighborhoods of Hollygrove, Broadmoor, Esplanade Ridge – Treme, St. Roch, and Holy Cross. Corporations and organizations that were represented include Shell Oil, Whitney National Bank, Folgers, Chevron, and the Knights of Malta. Rebuilding Together’s AmeriCorps volunteers were stationed at each house to act as support for each team: calling for extra supplies, taking pictures of the action, and lending a hand in the construction when needed. “It was a real tough weekend,” noted AmeriCorps volunteer Ryan Hanley. “Standing twenty feet in the air on a ladder and scraping the whole side of a shotgun house is hard work, but it was totally worth it.”
The work scopes of each house varied greatly: most required a thorough scrape and paint, some needed new siding and fencing, and a few even called for gutting that had not been touched since Katrina. A few groups with specialized knowledge such as the LSU’s School of Occupational Therapy built wheelchair ramps of elderly homeowners, thus enabling them to safely stay in their homes as long as they want.
Before Hurricane Katrina, Rebuilding Together New Orleans focused most of its energy and work on their once-a-year event of Christmas in October. Following the destruction of Katrina, however, the needs of homeowners changed dramatically. No longer was the work of Rebuilding Together New Orleans limited to one weekend a year. Since Katrina, the organization has grown to serve the needs of elderly homeowners year round with the help of hundreds of volunteers from around the country. As a result, the Christmas in October event temporarily fell to the wayside. After a two year hiatus, the event returned last year under the new name of the October Build. As New Orleanians have slowly been able to rebuild their own homes and put their lives back to relative normalcy, the demand for local volunteerism has grown steadily. The October Build was a perfect outlet for this new energy, as evidenced by the 700 New Orleanians climbing up ladders and on scaffolding to paint their neighbors houses and bring their city back.
Walking down Walmsley Avenue in the Broadmoor neighborhood, one could not have helped feeling optimistic about the future of this city. Volunteers swarmed like bees around multiple houses and spilled out into the streets. Two houses were being worked on as part of Rebuilding Together’s October Build, but three others on the street were also independently under construction, thus proving that redevelopment is naturally contagious. The sound of hammers echoed in the air, saws roared to life, and everywhere people were working and smiling. Although this may not be the case in every part of the city, it certainly shows that where New Orleanians have concern for their neighbors, they can accomplish anything.
October 16th 2008
PRC Offers Salvaged Architectural Elements For Sale
Salvaged architectural elements are now for sale at the PRC’s warehouse, 2801 Marais St.
Walking through the cement-clad yard full of old windows, columns and door frames, a visitor has the sense of exploring an architectural graveyard. Each item bears the scars of its past life as part of a home somewhere in New Orleans. On the right, windows with missing panes; on the left, cast iron rails still covered in the dirt they were pulled from; and up ahead a pile of doors with the waterlines of Hurricane Katrina. Street addresses label each item, silent reminders of the time when it was just one piece of many that made up a family home. But this isn’t a final resting place where these slightly damaged architectural pieces come to decompose; it’s a haven of rebirth. This is the Preservation Resource Center’s Warehouse Salvage Store.
Since its inception in late 2007, the salvage store has been a sanctuary of historic and environmental preservation. As more and more structures were demolished due to severe structural damage after Katrina, countless priceless and unique architectural items were hauled away to rot, taking up space in a distant landfill. The PRC recognized the need to save as many of these artifacts as possible, preserving the city’s architectural heritage while aiding the environment by reusing these materials. Along with FEMA, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Mercy Corps, the PRC plays a vital role in the deconstruction process by receiving, housing, and selling salvageable items from demolished homes and buildings.
“We receive one to four trailer loads a day that are varied in number and size of salvaged items,” explains Alec Hamilton, PRC’s salvage and deconstruction assistant. All these shipments would be heading to the landfill were it not for the foresight of the PRC. After the items are unloaded and cleaned (usually by Rebuilding Together volunteers), they are sold to residents of Orleans Parish. “Our prices are usually a half or a third of the price as new items,” adds Hamilton, “and it’s mostly renovating homeowners who are buying these items.”
Not only is the store beneficial to Orleans homeowners and the environment, it also creates valuable funds for the PRC itself – around $6,000 a month – that can be used to further the goal of preservation and restoration of the city. In addition, PRC’s Rebuilding Together program uses some of the salvaged items to reconstruct homes of low-income elderly and disabled owners, saving them money that they can ill afford to lose.
Hamilton enjoys all the positives that accompany her position. “I like seeing these beautiful items preserved and people taking the time to see the value in old craftsmanship,” she says. “It’s exciting to see what the PRC does for the community, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Come by and visit Alec at the salvage store and see for yourself how these items can be revived to lead new lives as beautiful testaments to the indomitable character of New Orleans.
The PRC Warehouse Salvage Store is located at 2801 Marais Street and can be reached at 504.947.0038. Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
