Members from a greater Tri-Valley nonprofit group will meet tomorrow to frame a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,200-square-foot home in Danville’s Community Presbyterian Church parking lot, and they are looking for help from the public.
As ambitious as this task may seem, it is just the first step in a massive Hurricane Katrina housing relief program by a group called Umbrella of Churches. “Operation Katrina” is aimed at constructing 16 new single-family homes in Pike County, Miss. The region was one of the hardest hit last year when Hurricane Katrina made its way through the Gulf Coast.
While the total cost of the task is set at $800,000, Umbrella of Churches has already managed to raise more than $300,000 from contributions made by churches and private organizations.
“Seeing the scope of this disaster led us to mobilize a collaborative effort with Bay Area churches willing to help raise $800,000,” said Fred Hull, a Danville resident and spokesman for Umbrella of Churches. “Reaction to our plan was both stunning and very gratifying, with more than $300,000 being raised immediately, enough to start 12 homes.”
Homes will also be constructed in McComb, Miss., population 13,337, which is 108 miles northeast of New Orleans and where many of its evacuees sought shelter. The city, which has a population of just over 13,000, has established a property site for the houses.
“In light of the overwhelming devastation, the efforts of the Umbrella of Churches are sincerely appreciated by McComb,” said its mayor, Tom Wallman. “The city is pleased to provide the property site to build these much-needed new homes.”
Last year, Umbrella of Churches sent a fact-finding team to Mississippi to survey the damage that the natural disaster inflicted on the area. Team members determined there was a lack of resources and a dramatic need for permanent housing.
Together with Voice of Calvary Ministries, a Jackson, Miss., organization known for its community development programs, Umbrella of Churches developed a “House in the Box” project. The walls of the houses will be framed on local church sites, then the assembled sections will be packed and shipped to Mississippi for placement on foundations. An Umbrella of Churches consortium is also helping with financing so the homebuyers will have monthly payments of only $150-$200 per month.
The organization plans to send work teams to the hurricane-ravaged areas in late March to complete the construction on the homes. But first, the group is seeking volunteers, especially those with carpentry or building skills, to help assemble the house frame, at 9 a.m. tomorrow, at 222 W. El Pintado Road. Refreshments will be served.
Other churches involved include the Creekside Community and United Methodist in Alamo, and the East Bay Fellowship Church in Danville. For more information, call 837-5525, ext. 303, or visit www.cpcdanville.org.
