Washington and Lee University
St. Bernard Project (SBP) is building a movement to solve the affordable housing crisis in the Greater New Orleans area. By enlisting passionate people from across the globe to join our work, we have made significant strides towards rebuilding and restoring our community. To date, SBP has rebuilt 420+ homes with the help of over 36,000 volunteers.
Despite the progress we have achieved, there are many lingering barriers keeping individuals and families from returning to their homes. To date there are still 220 families living in FEMA trailers in New Orleans; many of them own their homes but lack the necessary funds to repair them. According to the Greater New Orleans Data Center it is believed there are still anywhere from 10,000 to 20,000 families who own homes and wished to return to New Orleans, but have not done so. In total, it is estimated that there are still about 38,000 families who still consider their living situation "in transition". Since the need is so great, we as an organization need to be as efficient as possible. St. Bernard Project is committed to becoming the new model for post-disaster rebuilding and truly affordable housing in communities impacted by manmade, natural and economic disasters.