Marilyn Smith has moved back in!

We have completed our first build from the ground up. So many people did so much to make this happen, but special thanks to Brian Treffeisen, our construction manager, whose tireless work made Marilyn’s house look beautiful, and also to Camp Coastal Outpost, which provided most of the funding for this project. Follow this link to a wonderful short documentary about Marilyn done by Ella Kliger: http://one.revver.com/watch/415261

SKILLED TRADESMAN NEEDED!

Hurricane Katrina was the biggest natural disaster in the history of the United States. The eye of the storm passed through Hancock County, Mississippi destroying thousands of homes. Although nearly two years have passed since the storm, the need for help is still great. Many residents remain in FEMA trailers and many of the homes damaged and destroyed by the storm are still untenable.

St. Rose Outreach and Recovery, based in Bay St Louis, is dedicated to rebuilding affordable housing in Hancock County for residents in need. Now more than ever, skilled tradesmen are needed to lead the rebuilding effort.

AmeriCorps positions available

Interested in joining an AmeriCorps program at St. Rose Outreach and Recovery? We have 2, 3, 6, and 12 month positions available. Click here to find out more!

A brief look at the projects we have scheduled for the Summer and the Fall:

3 Complete Rebuilds: We are building three houses from the ground up, and they must be completed by the end of September.
5 Major Rehabs: We are taking five homes that are "dried in" and completing the electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, drywall, painting, cabinets, doors, trim and flooring.
12 Small Remodels: We are helping 12 families with the finishing touches on their homes. Work ranges from installing flooring and cabinets to fixing minor plumbing or electrical problems.

Background

Located in downtown Bay St Louis, Mississippi, St. Rose De Lima Catholic Church has a rich, 80 year history of supporting underserved populations in Hancock County, Mississippi. It was founded in 1920 to serve the Black Catholic population in South Mississippi when there was no other church to do so.

Since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, St. Rose has taken a leading role in helping revive Bay St Louis, Waveland, and the surrounding communities. This work has been accomplished though many generous donations and by the efforts of Father Sebastian, the parishioners, and volunteers from across the country. St. Rose Outreach and Recovery carries on the tradition of helping those who need it most, and the connection with St. Rose is stronger than ever. The St Rose Hurricane Task Force, comprised of parishioners, volunteers, and Father Sebastian, is the advisory board for St. Rose Outreach and Recovery.

Immediately following the storm, St. Rose de Lima provided shelter for those without a home and served as a distribution center for water, food, clothes and other vital items. As the needs of the community changed, St. Rose began, with the help of volunteers from different churches throughout the country, gutting houses, cutting down trees, and clearing out storm debris. St. Rose welcomed anyone and everyone in the community to sign up for assistance, and people from all over Hancock County came for help.

Since those first months, the relief effort conformed to the needs of the community. St. Rose continued to gut houses, clear debris, and cut down trees, but the effort began to involve rebuilding as well: St. Rose repaired roofs, drywall, electrical, plumbing, and framing. St. Rose has been lucky to have so many knowledgeable people to lead the recovery effort, and although those skilled laborers are few, the effort here has grown to be an efficient, fluid and effective endeavor.

A New Home for SOAR

On January 28th, 2007, Saint Rose Outreach and Recovery moved to the Saint Augustine Retreat Center, located in downtown Bay St. Louis. Thank you to the Society of the Divine Word for hosting Saint Rose Outreach and Recovery and its partners for the next 15 months.

The Salvation Army, Catholic Social Services, West Seneca AmeriCorps, and the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps (NASCC) have joined Saint Rose Outreach and Recovery at the St. Augustine Retreat Center. The Salvation Army has 10 case managers working at the center, as does Catholic Social Services. West Seneca AmeriCorps and NASCC are both house teams there, as do CityTeam Ministries and Habitat for Humanity. The St. Augustine Retreat Center is a hub for rebuilding Hancock County!

This move ushers in a different stage of rebuilding for Saint Rose Outreach and Recovery. We will now focus on completely restoring homes for individual families in Hancock County. From now until June, 2008, we will help 75 families move back into their homes. Since our opening, we have gotten 6 certificates of occupancy for residents in the area. We are proud to be a part of this rebuilding effort, and we look forward to working with our partners to make this happen.

Now more than ever, we need skilled labor, people who feel comfortable finishing drywall, hanging cabinets, installing flooring, renovating a kitchen or a bathroom, the type of projects that require experience. If you don't have experience, don't fret, but do think about what you expect when you come down here. Thanks for your time and we hope to see you down here with us.