In partnership with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the National Association of Home Builders, the concept home aims to lead the national dialogue on workforce and federal disaster housing policies.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Cypress Community Development Corporation announced today that nationally acclaimed Katrina Cottage designer, Marianne Cusato, will unveil her latest concept home at the 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase hosted by the Office of Policy Development and Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the National Association of Home Builders.
Set on the National Mall from June 9 through June 11, the Showcase is a public event designed to raise awareness of innovative and affordable housing designs and technologies that, in addition to reducing costs and expenses for builders, owners and renters can access affordable, accessible, and healthy housing options for low- and moderate-income households; support aging in place; improve climate mitigation and resilience, and disaster recovery; and/or increase energy efficiency and support decarbonization in the housing sector.
Patrick Cave, founding partner of Cypress Community Development Corporation said, "We are honored to participate in HUD's 2023 Showcase in support of their mission to create quality, affordable homes for all, and hope this concept home will inspire dialogue that results in policy change similar to how the Katrina Cottage sparked a revision to the Stafford Act."
The team at Cypress Development Corporation has been addressing critical housing issues since 2006, when partner, Marianne Cusato's Katrina Cottage debuted to national media acclaim as a critical solution and alternative to the temporary FEMA trailers for survivors of Hurricane Katrina along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Congress appropriated $400 million for FEMA's Alternative Housing Pilot Program (AHPP) to build Katrina Cottages on the gulf coast, resulting in 2,800 homes in Mississippi and 450 homes in Louisiana. In September of 2006, President Bush signed a revision to the Stafford Act, giving FEMA the ability to build permanent structures modeled on the Katrina Cottage. Due to popular demand, Cusato entered into a licensing agreement with Lowe's Home Centers to make the cottages available as accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in kit form in all Lowe's stores nationwide.
"We were ahead of our time with the Katrina Cottage," said Craig Savage, partner of Cypress Development Corporation. "Public acceptance of tiny homes and ADUs has allowed us to incorporate technology and innovative materials, paving the way to faster, better, more affordable off-site construction."
The concept home can be seen in person on The National Mall from June 9 to June 11 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Those who are unable to attend in person may visit http://www.TalkAboutHousing.com to sign up for regular updates.
"We are overjoyed by the response and support to date," said Marianne Cusato, designer of the Katrina Cottage and partner at Cypress Development Corporation. "A special thanks to all who have engaged in this critical dialogue about housing affordability. This concept home would not have been possible without a research grant from the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, generous support from Miller & Long DC, Inc. and the Derbyshire Group, with product donations from Andersen Windows & Doors, BASF, Carlisle, HandiFoam, Hempitecture, Mactac, Mitsubishi Electric, Sashco, SIGA, Valspar, and WindsorOne."
For more information about the concept home, visit http://www.TalkAboutHousing.com.
About Cypress Community Development Corp.
Cypress CDC is a not-for-profit housing corporation specializing in the development of innovative housing solutions for disaster rebuilding and workforce housing. We are experts in the design and development of resilient and energy efficient homes based on Cypress CDC partner Marianne Cusato's cottage designs.
Together with Marianne Cusato, Cypress CDC built 450 Katrina Cottages in Louisiana through FEMA funding and affordable housing sources and is currently constructing homes in the Florida Keys rebuilding following Hurricane Irma and in Sonoma County following the 2017 wildfires. For more information, visit http://www.cypresscdc.com.
About Marianne Cusato
Renowned for her work on innovative housing solutions for disaster recovery and workforce housing, Marianne Cusato is the partner in charge of design and development at Cypress Community Development Corp. In addition to her work with Cypress CDC, Marianne is a Professor of Practice at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture and Director of the School's Housing and Community Regeneration Initiative, a "Think-and-Do Tank" that provides assistance to municipalities and nonprofit organizations to improve economic development by reimagining the built environment. This work targets immediate local impact as well as national and global influence through projects, research, and education. For more information, visit http://www.mariannecusato.com.
Media Contact
Jonathan Buckley, IWPR Group, 1 9173304995, jonathan@iwprgroup.com
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