Since 2005, people have been coming to the gulf coast to bear witness to the disaster and help residents recover from set backs. Because of government neglect, corperate corruption, racism, and classism before the storm, the residents of New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish suffer still even years after the flood waters have receeded. Nothing has been cleansed, but the muck has been exposed.

Mismanagement of federal and state relief funds have kept people from returning home, or sometimes worse: fenced into FEMA trailer parks and subjected to environmental and mental health hazards. Even money donated by individuals to private foundations and large non-profits has barely trickled down to noticable results. What may be the only answer is direct relief through volunteering and/or sponsoring a family.

With donations from folks abroad and skilled workers on the ground, HOPE is putting together missing peices of the puzzle for homeowners. Many residents have already started rebuilding their homes, but need assistance finishing process. Some have received a small amount of money from government grants or loans and then get ripped off by out-of-town contractors with expensive prices for poor or incomplete work. Able-bodied residents start construction on their own houses, only to be bogged down by the struggle of also raising family, working jobs, and rebuilding community.

We need your help. Please contact us about supporting a family through fundraising in your city, town, or neighborhood. Hold a walk-a-thon. Email your friends and family. Have a live show in your basement. Raise money through your sorority. Bake cupcakes. These are all ways people have actually raised money for HOPE. Thank you for your work, and don't give up.

e-mail: hopeprojectstb (at) gmail.com

you can make monetary or in-kind donations directly to families in need.
please contact us regarding contributions.

page updated: january 2010