By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
SLIDELL – Hurricanes or not, the East St. Tammany Habitat for Humanity continues to do its thing.
That “thing” is to help Americans become home owners, particularly those who are working each day, but still not able to qualify to purchase a home of their own.
The Slidell Habitat division has been active in the Slidell area for many years before Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, suddenly expanding their work in a big way as they helped renovate and build new homes in masses after the storm. Since starting here they have built over 130 homes.
After Hurricane Katrina pushed Habitat into a higher level of operation than ever seen, Executive Director Debbie Crouch said the organization has steadily gone back to building or renovating nearly 10 homes a year in the Slidell area.
Funding for their work comes from a lot of effort to seek donations and hold fundraisers, and that is why their biggest benefit event of the year is so important.
The annual “Home is Where the Art Is” fundraiser will be held this Friday night, Nov. 20 at the Northshore Harbor Center, where an incredible amount of talent will be on display from regional artists.
Tickets are still available for the event and can be purchased for $50 a person, or $75 per couple, by calling 985-639-0656.
Crouch said the “Home is Where the Art Is” event is vital to their operation since it raises a significant amount of the funding necessary for the work Habitat does. And now, the newest endeavor by the Slidell Habitat team is helping United States military veterans get into a home in cases where they otherwise have circumstances preventing them from doing so.
“We’re really proud of our new Veterans Build program,” Crouch said. “We just had a home dedication for our first veteran home on West Hall Avenue, and we’re closing on our second Veterans Build home that will be built on Hickory Drive.”
For that matter, the Hickory Drive home will be built exclusively with the funds raised from last year’s “Home is Where the Art Is” fundraiser, one that received national attention for a piano painted by local artist Lori Gomez, and enhanced in value when Habitat volunteer Kim Bergeron went to incredible lengths to get Beatles band members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to sign the piano. An online auction was held for the piano and a Florida woman bid just under $100,000 for the piano.
This year’s “Home is Where the Art Is” benefit is just as important since it will bring in funds to help Habitat qualify, then assist veterans who could qualify for future Veterans Build homes.
The Habitat program is one that does not give free homes to anyone, but offers low-interest loans and assistance to individuals who are working, but otherwise don’t make enough to qualify for the home. The program also requires that the potential homeowner put in hundreds of hours of sweat equity as the home is being built. Habitat also works with individuals who have credit issues and helps them improve credit scores so they can qualify to buy a home.
This year’s fundraiser will have 10 tables of silent auction items that include wine baskets, tickets to special events, jewelry and of course, art.
Then there will be a live auction with five or six special art items, along with other art that will be offered in silent auction fashion.