Grant #252

Lower Ninth Ward Home Rebuild

July 10, 2017

Rebuilding homes and reviving hope in New Orlean’s Lower Ninth Ward.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, 100% of the Lower Ninth Ward homes in New Orleans were rendered uninhabitable, leaving 14,000 residents homeless overnight. Almost 12 years later, the majority of former residents have not returned.

The neighborhood, which had one of the highest rates of African-American homeownership in the nation, continues to struggle in its recovery. Sadly, the federal recovery program put in place to help Louisiana homeowners return to their properties after the levee breaches was found to be discriminatory in a federal court.

Enter the team of heroes at Lowernine.org, who are rebuilding homes and reviving hope. The non-profit organization works directly with long-time Lower Ninth Ward homeowners to coordinate volunteer labor and donated materials to rebuild their properties. Through these awesome efforts, they’re Lowernine.org plans to complete their 85th home this summer, bringing life back to this century-old historic neighborhood.

The Awesome Without Borders grant will support the completion of two homes, including materials and organizing volunteer labor, this summer.

Follow their progress on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

WE’RE AWESOMELY OVERWHELMED BY THE NUMBER OF APPLICATIONS WE’RE GETTING WEEKLY!

Starting May 15, 2023, we’re pausing accepting new applications. We will post here when we re-open the floodgates! Please do not submit any applications until we announce we are accepting them. We will not review them.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@AF_WB), Facebook (@AwesomeWithoutBorders), and here on our fab website for updates on our weekly grant announcements. You can also join our quarterly newsletter:

We’ll be back soon!

Cheers,
Team Awesome Without Borders