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18 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday March 16, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Oakville resident helping Hurricane Katrina victims rebuild homes By mid-summer, Habitat for Humanity expects to have built 1,000 homes in the Gulf Coast. Almost 18 months after Hurricane Katrina ripped through the area and Hurricane Rita added to the destruction, building efforts, which are headed by Oakville's Ken Meinert, have seen more than 700 new homes built or under construction. "We currently are starting construction on more than 57 homes per month in a region where Habitat affiliates historically had built 57 homes per year," said Meinert, senior vice president of Operation Home Delivery and the U.S./Canada Area office for Habitat for Humanity International. "We are gratified by those numbers, but the job is far, far from done. We will be building in the region for many years to come." Habitat has already started to find land and plan for the next 1,000 homes. This allows local affiliates to deliver affordable houses to qualifying low-income families whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged during the 2005 hurricane season. Operation Home Delivery was in place immediately after Hurricane Katrina and then expanded after Hurricane Rita added to the devastation in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama. Habitat's three goals for the effort are being met, Meinert said. These goals include helping Habitat affiliates restore service in affected areas, partnering with other organizations to address the complex housing need and building simple, decent homes in partnership with lowincome, hurricane-affected families. "Many of our affiliates in the region were directly impacted by the storm," Meinert said. "Some lost offices, tools, warehouses, supplies, virtually everything. And their staff members and volunteers were likewise affected. Many of them lost their homes, too. Today, affiliates' ability to build not only has been restored, but greatly enhanced." Meinert says some affiliates this year alone are building more homes than they did in their entire history. "That has been made possible by help from Operation Home Delivery ­ and the work of more than 50,000 Habitat volunteers who have come from around the country to help for periods ranging from a few days to many months." Habitat has partnered with many organizations to help out, including Church World Service to help fund the repair of 500 homes for low-income families and with The Salvation Army to increase building capacity, provide housing for volunteers and make homes along the Gulf Coast more affordable. Those are just two of the many organizations helping out. "I am very proud to be working with many Canadian teams, and alongside of Luther Disaster Response, Mennonites, Samaritans Purse, the thousands of congregational groups, and the many other Habitat Partners we have in this recovery work," said Meinert. Habitat for Humanity has spent nearly half of the about $128 million in contributions received to date for its hurricane recovery work. About 90 cents of every dollar has gone directly to program costs, including land acquisition, development and construction materials. "We're not a disaster relief or firstresponder organization, and housebuilding isn't done overnight," said Meinert. "We were at work in the Gulf Coast communities before the hurricanes hit and we will be there as long as there is a need and we have the resources to help. "Prudent spending on land and materials will make our donors' dollars go further, and eventually will result in more houses." Meinert said Habitat for Humanity's current funding will pay for at least 2,000 new homes in the region. "The houses we are building with partner families are designed to be part of the long-term answer to a long-term issue," he said. The work in the Gulf Coast continues as does Habitat's work in 1,700 communities across the United States and Canada and in more than 90 countries around the world. The current pace of Operation Home Delivery construction requires at least 1,000 volunteers per week. Volunteers can register and donations can be made online at www.habitat.org or by calling 1-800-Habitat (422-4828). Canada's best PVRs from only $5 a month. 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