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The
Salvation Army Partners with Habitat for
Humanity's 'Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work
Project' to help build affordable housing
across the Gulf Coast…Army
allocates $7.4 million to address No.1
concern for hurricanes Katrina and Rita
recovery
JACKSON, Miss., and
ATLANTA, May 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
The Salvation Army is proud to join Habitat
for Humanity for the 25th annual Jimmy and
Rosalynn Carter Work Project, which will run
from May 11 - 16, 2008, in Alabama,
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. As part
of the project,
The Salvation Army has
allocated $7.4 million in disaster
assistance funds to support construction and
rehabilitation of up to 370 homes in the
four states.
The Army also will provide
food services for Habitat volunteers and
staff at construction and build sites
throughout the week-long build event with
the Carters.
More than half of The
Salvation Army's $155 million long-term plan
has been budgeted to address housing, the
No. 1 concern for clients recovering from
hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
"Getting people back into
a stable home will be a foundation from
which they can re-establish their lives,"
said Major John R. Jones, Division Commander
for The Salvation Army's ALM Division.
"We have allocated the
largest portion of our long-term recovery
funds to housing because it is such an
important component for rekindling hope."
The Salvation Army's $7.4
million will be awarded in the form of
$20,000 per home grants to up to 370 Habitat
applicants for down-payment assistance.
It will support the
construction and rehabilitation of 60 houses
and the framing of approximately 48 more in
the Carter Project host cities of Biloxi,
Gulfport and Pascagoula, Miss. Other build
sites will be spread out towns and cities
from Mobile, Ala., to New Orleans, La.
"The Salvation Army has
been working hard since the 2005 hurricanes
to help families cope and recover from the
devastation.
"They have been a vital
partner with Habitat for Humanity in the
region, and the tremendous support of the
Carter Work Project is another extension of
their commitment to helping Gulf Coast
families rebound for the long term. We're
deeply grateful for that support," said
Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity
International.
The Army also will provide
meal services at each Carter Project build
site, as well as at the opening ceremonies
for 2,500 people at The Salvation Army's
Yankie Stadium in Biloxi on Sunday, May 11.
In total, the Army plans to serve more than
44,000 meals for breakfast and lunch at more
than 100 worksites during the weeklong
build.
In 2006, a research poll
conducted by Leadership 18, a coalition of
18 of the largest charities in the United
States, more than 60 percent of people
affected by the hurricanes listed housing as
their primary concern.
Habitat's Carter Project
is an annual, internationally-recognized
week in which the former U.S. President and
Nobel Peace Prize laureate, along with his
wife, Rosalynn, join thousands of volunteers
to build and renovate simple, decent and
affordable housing in partnership with
low-income families.
President Carter's
longstanding relationship with Habitat for
Humanity began in 1984 when he donated one
day of his carpentry skills and manual labor
at a work site in Americus, Ga., home to
Habitat's international headquarters.
Later that same year, the
Carters led their first weeklong work
project, renovating a six-story, 19-unit
building in New York City.
The Salvation Army's
participation in the Jimmy and Rosalynn
Carter Work Project is the continuation of a
partnership begun in January 2006 to provide
down payment assistance and case management
services to victims of hurricane's Katrina
and Rita.
To date, The Salvation
Army has provided more than $2.6 million in
down payment assistance to 200 qualified
Habitat homeowners as part of its long-term
Community Recovery Plan.
The Carter Project will
bring the total partnership dollars to
approximately $10 million.
In addition to the Habitat
partnership, The Salvation Army has joined
with other organizations in over 2,100 home
repair and reconstruction projects in
Hurricane Katrina affected communities.
The Salvation Army has
budgeted $82 million to deal directly with
housing issues for people who were displaced
by the storms.
More than 800,000 have
received long-term recovery assistance--for
housing, employment and basic needs--through
The Salvation Army's long-term plan.
About The Salvation Army:
The Salvation Army, an
evangelical part of the universal Christian
church, has been supporting those in need in
His name without discrimination since 1865.
Nearly 29 million
Americans receive assistance from The
Salvation Army each year through provides
food for the hungry, relief for disaster
victims, assistance for the disabled,
outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing,
shelter and opportunities for
underprivileged children.
About 83 cents of every
dollar raised is used to support those
services in nearly 9,000 communities
nationwide. For more information go to
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/, call
1-800-SAL-ARMY, or send a check to your
local Salvation Army earmarked for disaster
relief.
About Habitat for Humanity
International
Habitat for Humanity
International is an ecumenical Christian
ministry that welcomes to its work all
people dedicated to the cause of eliminating
poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976,
Habitat has built more than 250,000 houses
worldwide, providing simple, decent and
affordable shelter for more than 1 million
people. For more information, visit
www.habitat.org .
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