Americorps Members to Repair Flood-Damaged Homes in Louisiana with Rebuilding Together for MLK Day
LAFAYETTE, La., January 11, 2017 – Rebuilding Together, a leading national nonprofit in safe and healthy housing that provides low-income homeowners with critical home repairs and revitalizes communities, will join together with its affiliate, Rebuilding Together Acadiana, and its AmeriCorps members to repair flood-damaged homes for MLK Day.
AmeriCorps members from Rebuilding Together affiliates nationwide and Louisiana AmeriCorps members will gather in Lafayette, La. to rebuild six homes affected by the recent flood. One of these homes belongs to a retired nurse who lost her husband, a World Ward II veteran. During the flood, her home was inundated with a foot of water, displacing them for a week. Many homeowners in the area did not have flood insurance. For the rest of the week, Rebuilding Together AmeriCorps members will complete any remaining repairs and construct wheelchair accessibility ramps throughout the Derby Heights neighborhood.
"Many older homeowners affected by the recent floods are unable to perform repairs on their own," said Jodee Ware, executive director of Rebuilding Together Acadiana. "The support of AmeriCorps members coming from across the country to repair these homes, will allow these older adults to remain safely remain in their neighborhood and get their lives back on track."
The U. S. Congress designated the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. as a holiday in 1983, it later became a national day of service led by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) under which the AmeriCorps program resides. Bill Basl, director of AmeriCorps, acknowledged, “this day is an effort to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and this project epitomizes his servant leader spirit. The AmeriCorps members with Rebuilding Together understand the value of service and are leading the way to transform communities.”
"Long after other organizations have left, Rebuilding Together continues its support of victims of natural disasters by helping them rebuild their homes," said Caroline Blakely, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "We are grateful for our AmeriCorps members who are joining hands in Louisiana and in the spirit of MLK Day are supporting homeowners who are still recovering from the devastating floods in the southeastern part of the state.”
Rebuilding Together has been a recipient of the AmeriCorps program since 2008. This year Rebuilding Together has received a $781,697 AmeriCorps grant from CNCS to support 87 AmeriCorps members who are providing critical support to our mission of transforming the lives of low-income homeowners by improving the safety and health of their homes and revitalizing our communities. This grant is supporting AmeriCorps members in 28 cities and 19 states across the country.