Biloxi, MS- Boat People SOS (BPSOS) joins in partnerships with Habitat for Humanity Northern Virginia (HFHNVA) and Harrison County Rebuilding Together (HCRT) in a collaborative effort titled Project REHAB (Rebuilding Every Home at East Biloxi).  Project REHAB aims to repair and rebuild devastated homes in Biloxi, MS over the next 18 months.

Through an initial grant from Church World Service/Habitat for Humanity International, BPSOS-Biloxi received $60,000 in funds to purchase materials for the rebuilding of eight homes of low-income families in east Biloxi.  With supplemental funding provided by HFHNVA, Project REHAB completed the rebuilding of the eight homes in this initial round of funding, and all of the families have returned to their homes.  Project REHAB hopes to repair an additional three homes during this initial round by September 18, 2006.

In addition to BPSOS-Biloxi, eight other long-term recovery organizations received grants to repair and rebuild residential homes in the Gulf Coast areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, totaling $446,000 for 82 homes. Church World Service will disburse $3 million over two years to support residential reconstruction projects in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

In all, 500 homes will be repaired or rebuilt through the Church World Service and Habitat for Humanity International partnership that intends to not just repair homes, but rebuild lives.  The words of one survivor in Mississippi, “when they started work on my home it brought us hope, but the rebuilding has healed our hearts.”

Church World Service traditionally plays a key role after disasters by facilitating the development of long-term recovery groups, and Habitat for Humanity has a long history of building homes.   The Church World Service and Habitat for Humanity International partnership draws on the organizations’ strengths to better address the extensive recovery needs facing communities throughout the Gulf Coast region.

For more information, please contact info@bpsos.org.