From the Dome to Home, Katrina Survivors Celebrate First Holiday

The release includes the story of a family that has found a home because of the "Make a Home" project, which is a partnership between the Houston Association of REALTORS and Houston Area Urban League. Nearly 1,800 people have been placed in donated, short-term housing through the program.

Houston, Texas (PRWEB) November 25, 2005 -- Debria Tripps and her family were among the thousands who left home with little more than the clothes on their backs. They came to Houston not knowing what the future would bring. In spite of the situation the New Orleans native, who now lives with her sister, niece and nephew, says they have much to be thankful for this year. Their new address came via the Houston Association of Realtors-Houston Area Urban League program, “Make a Home.” Tripps is just one of nearly 1,800 people who have been placed in donated housing through the “Make a Home” project.

“We were all in the Astrodome, and I contacted the ‘Make a Home’ project to find a place to live so that my niece and nephew could be enrolled in school in Houston, “ said Tripps. “The people at the Urban League and Houston Association of REALTORS® have been amazing and have truly changed our lives. We are blessed to have found them.”

While the stories of the Hurricane Katrina evacuees have largely disappeared from the front page of newspapers and no longer lead the nightly news, the HAR and the Urban League continue their “Make a Home” project, placing families in need of shelter in properties.

The “Make a Home” project partnered HAR and the Urban League with other local organizations to match applicants through the HAR.com Web site with properties donated through both the a telethon and the HAR Web site.

“This is what we do. REALTORS help people find housing,” said HAR Chair Toni Nelson. “This project was a natural extension of our profession, and our members were glad that they could put their knowledge and experience to use in such a time of dire need.”

“Even with the extended FEMA deadline for people to leave hotels by January 7, it is important for all of us to do our part to make the holidays happy and secure for our newest Houstonians,” said Urban League President and CEO Sylvia Brooks. “We are helping not only place people in homes but also to find jobs and a way to support themselves once the federal aid stops.”

Many more people are still in need so you may go to http://www.har.com and click on the “Make a Home” logo to donate any type of property from a second home, rental property, condo or apartment. The matches will continue until every available property has been assigned. The recipients of shelter have included single women, the elderly, families with as many as 10 people, and everything in between.

Founded in 1918, the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR) is a 23,000-member organization of real estate professionals engaged in every aspect of the industry, including residential and commercial sales and leasing, appraisal, property management and counseling. It is the largest individual membership trade association in Houston, as well as the second largest local association/board of REALTORS® in the United States. Its Web site is also the most frequently visited real estate site in Houston, with an average of more than 400 million hits each month. For more information, please visit http://www.har.com.

The mission of the Houston Area Urban League is to enable African Americans and other minorities to secure economic self-reliance, parity, power and civil rights. The Houston Area Urban League (The League) was founded in 1968 by a group of business professionals. Since then the Houston Area Urban League has been a voice for disadvantaged people of all races and has a long and distinguished record as an agency that offers tangible, lasting benefits to all members of the community without regard to age, sex, race, physical limitations or ethnic background. For more information, please visit http://www.haul.org.
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