New Orleans Neighborhoods Partnership Network

May 30th 2012

Build Now Completes 50th Home

William and Tess Monaghan established Build Now in 2008 with the mission of building quality, affordable housing in the greater New Orleans area for people affected by Hurricane Katrina. Since the storm, our mission has expanded to assisting first time homebuyers and other residents who want to build in New Orleans’ blighted and underpopulated neighborhoods. To date, we have constructed over 50 homes and have more than a dozen under construction in the greater New Orleans area. This amounts to 64 families (and counting) for whom we have helped make home ownership a reality! Got to http://www.facebook.com/buildnow/photos to see Build Now’s completed homes.

November 4th 2011

Build Now to Hold Wine and Cheese Tasting Fundraiser

Build Now is a non profit organization that brings displaced residents home by building them new, elevated houses.

On November 17th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM Build Now will be hosting a three-course wine and cheese tasting. Representatives from Glazer’s will discuss the wine and the St. James Cheese Company will explain the cheese pairings. Tickets are $35.00, with proceeds to benefit the Build Now Foundation. For more information or to RSVP, email or call (504) 324-3964.

May 20th 2011

Build Now Presents ArtHouse 2011

Come out and join Build Now and the Arts Council on Saturday, May 21st from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. as we host ArtHouse, a home and art tour featuring Build Now’s newly constructed homes. This event supports the community, its residents, and some of the very talented artists that live among us. Build Now has recently completed over thirty homes in hard hit neighborhoods throughout New Orleans and we are showcasing these homes for one day only. Over the past three years, Build Now has been working hard to bring New Orleanians back home to their neighborhoods and on May 21st, we invite the public to view our sites transformed by local artists into in-home galleries featuring some of New Orleans’ most exciting new artistic expressions.

May 19th 2011

Join Us For Build Now Talks

Tonight, Thursday, May 19th at 6:00 pm, Build Now will host Build Now Talks at our model home at 5713 Elysian Fields Avenue. We invite guest speakers to provide information about topics that are on the minds of New Orleans residents. We will be discussing how to finance your post-Katrina construction project and the many resources that may still be available to homeowners. Build Now TALKS is free and open to the public, but due to space considerations we request that you pre-register for the events you wish to attend. To pre-register for any of our upcoming events, call us at (504) 324-3964 or e-mail .

April 2nd 2011

Build Now Holding Block Party in Lower Ninth Ward

On April 2 from 11am to 5pm Build Now is holding a block party in the Lower Ninth Ward. It will take place at the intersection of Tricou St. and N. Prieur St. and will celebrate the construction of the organization’s 40th home and the neighborhood’s continued renewal.

There will have food, music and activities for children. Build Now will also be providing rebuilding information to interested residents.

April 2nd 2011

Build Now Holding Block Party in Lower Ninth Ward

On April 2 from 11am to 5pm Build Now is holding a block party in the Lower Ninth Ward. It will take place at the intersection of Tricou St. and N. Prieur St. and will celebrate the construction of the organization’s 40th home and the neighborhood’s continued renewal.

There will have food, music and activities for children. Build Now will also be providing rebuilding information to interested residents.

February 11th 2011

Build Now to Host Community Blight Forum - February 23, 2011 @ 6 pm

Blight and Recovery: Policy, Challenges, Needs, Solutions
Feburary 23, 2011
6:00 PM
ASI Community Center
3401 St Claude

Attendees
• Jeff Hebert, City of New Orleans
• David Lessinger, WhoData.org/NHS
• Allison Plyer, GNOCDC
• Ariana Tipper, NORA
• TBD, Office of Community Development
• Neighborhood and non-profit leaders

GOALS

- Inform neighborhood and non-profit leaders of recent progress in blight reduction and hurricane recovery, as well as recent changes to blight and recovery policies

- Solicit feedback from neighborhood and non-profit leaders on impact of current recovery and blight policies on quality of life and property values in their neighborhoods

- Provide neighborhoods with opportunity to present the needs of their communities – i.e. assistance in collecting or analyzing blight and vacancy data, locating homeowners, attracting new buyers to the neighborhood – and solicit assistance

- Brainstorm strategies via which neighborhoods can effectively contribute to the redevelopment of their communities

AGENDA

- Introductions – Short presentation by each panel member – Feedback from neighborhoods: What is working and what is not – Needs assessment from neighborhoods: What is your neighborhood’s biggest need?

- Brainstorm:
o How can we best prioritize recovery and blight reduction efforts to maximize resource efficiency and align with neighborhood goals?
o How can neighborhoods set realistic goals for recovery and blight reduction?
o How can neighborhoods provide effective input into the recovery and blight reduction process?

For more information call (504)373-6962 .

May 14th 2010

3rd Annual Build Now Crawfish Boil This Saturday Celebrates Landscaping our City, Organization's Thirtieth Home

Join Build Now for our 3rd annual Crawfish Boil this Saturday, May 15th. This year, in celebration of the culmination of Landscaping Our City, a landscape design competition created by Build Now in conjunction with Delgado’s Horticulture Technology Program and sponsored by local home and garden center The Garden Gate.

Crawfish and refreshments will be served from 1 to 5PM at Build Now’s Model House at 5713 Elysian Fields Avenue. Guests will be able to tour the new Build Now homes that have been landscaped as part of the competition. And winners will be announced!

Hope to see you there!

January 20th 2010

Build Now TALKS Financing Seminar Series Starts Tomorrow!

Over the coming months, Build Now will be hosting monthly seminars on financing sources available to pre-storm homeowners looking to construct a new home on their property.

Called “Putting the Pieces Together: The Build Now Approach to Financing for New Construction after Hurricane Katrina,” the presentation provides information on the HMGP, ICC, Road Home Elevation Grant, Road Home Additional Compensation Grant, and other funding sources that may benefit homeowners looking to rebuild. Homeowners, case managers, neighborhood leaders, and representatives of other non-profit organizations are all welcome to attend!

5713 Elysian Fields Avenue

Three dates available:
Thursday, January 21st, 6 PM
Thursday, February 18th, 6PM en espanol
Thursday, March 15th, 6 PM

Build Now is a non-profit organization that constructs new homes in New Orleans’ flooded neighborhoods. We host regular educational events on topics that are important to rebuilding your community.

October 30th 2009

Build Now presents ArtHouse: Big Easy Artists Celebrate Build Now's New Homes

Join New Orleans Non-Profit Homebuilder Build Now on Saturday, November 14th from 1 to 5 p.m. as we present ArtHouse, a home/art tour featuring Build Now’s new homes. For one day only, Build Now’s houses, built for families who lost their homes to Hurricane Katrina, will be transformed by local artists into in-home galleries featuring some of New Orleans’ most exciting new artwork.

Pick up a tour map at the Build Now model house located at 5713 Elysian Fields starting at 1PM. The model house will be open all afternoon, with a reception to follow the event from 5 to 7 p.m. Call 504-324-3964 for more information.

August 21st 2009

With more than a dozen houses complete or under construction, Build Now asks community members to spread the word about our services.

Build Now broke ground on houses in Lakeview and the Lower 9th Ward this month, with new construction starts in Hollygrove, Central City, and Gentilly Woods expected by the end of September. A not-for-profit organization, Build Now works with families who lost their home to Hurricane Katrina to build new, elevated homes on their property.

With houses going up in flooded neighborhoods all over the city – Upper 9th Ward, Freret, Ponchartrain Park, and Milneburg, in addition to those listed previously – we invite members of the community to come visit us at our model home at 5713 Elysian Fields to learn more about our work.

Build Now is a licensed and insured residential construction company, and our high quality construction work meets or exceeds all building codes and standards. We specialize in working with clients to find the financing they need, and providing them with support throughout the building process.

If you know anyone who is still looking to rebuild on their property in New Orleans, please let them know that we are here to help. Interested parties can call us at (504) 324-3964 to make an appointment to meet with one of our counselors, or just drop by our model house weekdays from 10AM – 6PM.

July 22nd 2009

Build Now announces August and September Build Now TALKS educational events

After taking June and July off, Build Now TALKS, Build Now’s free monthly educational series, will resume in August. On Thursday, August 20th, we will be presenting on “Putting the Pieces Together: The Build Now Approach to Financing for New Construction After Hurricane Katrina,” and on Thursday, September 17th, we will be presenting on “How to Elevate Your Home: General Information and Funding Opportunities for Building a New, Elevated Foundation or Elevating Your Existing Home.” Please see our Events listings for all the details!

June 3rd 2009

Build Now's 2nd Annual Crawfish Boil a success!

This past Sunday, a hundred people and 230 pounds of crawfish gathered at Build Now’s model house at 5713 Elysian Fields to enjoy the sunshine and celebrate a wonderful and eventful year! From noon until 4, friends and community members enjoyed food and drink—often taking a break from the heat to walk through the model house and learn about Build Now’s past, present and future projects. Even an hour after the crawfish were gone, community members lingered on, sitting on the porch and resting their stomachs for next May!

April 13th 2009

Build Now seeks to hire Rebuild Coordinator

Build Now offers an exciting opportunity to engage with individual families to walk them through the process of building a new home. See below for Job Description.

REBUILD COORDINATOR. Non-profit homebuilder seeks motivated, dedicated individual to assist clients with every step of the rebuilding process. Responsibilities will include identifying individual families who are in need of new construction on their lot, working with these families to obtain financing and to address any other obstacles that may be preventing them from rebuilding, and remaining the client’s primary point of contact through the rebuild process. Rebuild Coordinator will act as liason between client and construction team, and will also assist client with tasks such as filing ICC paperwork and coordinating Construction Loan draws, as applicable. Familiarity with post-Katrina housing issues, neighborhood dynamics, and the financing process are a must, as is dedication to the rebuilding of New Orleans neighborhoods, one house at a time. Experience in construction and/or in the non-profit world preferred. If interested, please send a resume and cover letter via e-mail to

December 16th 2008

Build Now nears completion on first home, with 3 more underway

As construction on our first home at 2324 Gordon Street nears completion, we are hard at work on building 3 more homes: 5543 Press Drive, 3111 Law Street, and 3105 Law Street. We have several more projects scheduled to start early in 2009. For more information about how Build Now can work with you and your neighborhood, call Nikki Najiola at (504) 373-6962.

November 19th 2008

Build Now breaks ground at 5543 Press Drive

Pilings went in at 5543 Press Drive today, Wednesday, November 19th. We are building a single-family, elevated home, for a Ponchartrain Park family. If you happen to find yourself in the area at any point over the next few months, swing by and check out our progress!

October 21st 2008

Build Now featured as part of SENO's Be the Change

This Thursday, October 23rd, Build Now will be featured as part of SENO’s “Be the Change: Celebrating Social Entrepreneurs in New Orleans.” The event is at 7 PM, at the Fine Arts Center at 1733 Constantinople Street.

SENO, Social Entrepreneurs of New Orleans, is dedicating to supporting and promoting social entrepreneurs – defined on their website as “individuals with innovative solutions to society’s most pressing social problems.”

For more information about the event, visit http://www.seno-nola.org/participate/event.php. Come out and support SENO, and all the groups working to help New Orleans grow!