NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 16, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- HomeAid, the country's leading non-profit provider of housing for the homeless announced today that Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (NYSE:BZH), one of the nation's leading homebuilders, will conduct a five-day blitz build of the New Orleans Family Center from August 25 through August 29 to provide housing for single mothers and their children who are still homeless a year after Hurricane Katrina.
The 4,400 square foot Family Center, which is located on the site of the historic New Orleans Mission, is being built by HomeAid's Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund, which was created in partnership with Ameriquest Mortgage Company, and its affiliates Argent Mortgage Company and AMC Mortgage Services. In addition, Tulane University, under the direction of Dr. Stephen Verderber, initiated and developed the architectural design of the project, including incorporating sustainable and green design elements that were conceived through a Design/Build Class at Tulane's renowned School of Architecture.
Beazer Homes' Houston Division will send 30 professional framers to New Orleans to expeditiously frame the Family Center located one quarter mile southeast of the Louisiana Superdome at 1130 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. The Beazer Homes effort is expected to decrease the total construction time by five to six weeks, providing a significant time savings in an environment where family housing is desperately needed.
"The devastation from Hurricane Katrina and the resulting increase of temporary homelessness brings to the forefront the stark reality that thousands of men, women and children, due to unforeseen circumstances, are left or at risk of becoming, temporarily homeless," said Ian J. McCarthy, president and chief executive officer of Beazer Homes, and co-chairman of the National Board of Directors for HomeAid. "Beazer has had the pleasure of working with HomeAid for nearly 10 years, helping to spearhead a dozen transitional homes across the country. We are fortunate to be affiliated with a stellar organization, who with its partners, has actively responded to the transitional housing needs in New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina.
"I know our team from Houston, working with our partners, will enthusiastically tackle this endeavor. We, as a company, are proud to share our resources with those in need and will continue to join our hands and hearts building hope with HomeAid," added McCarthy.
According to city statistics, there were an estimated 6,000 chronically homeless people in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Mission provided overnight shelter for up to three hundred men and women each night. Now the Mission sees an average of only four or five chronically homeless per week, according to Ron Gonzales, executive director for the Mission.
"The need has changed dramatically since Katrina and we are now seeing primarily single mothers who lost their homes and want to come back to the City and rebuild their lives and those of their children. As a result, transitional housing, with supportive services such as job placement and life skills, is now the predominant need in New Orleans -- and this is a need HomeAid can meet better than anyone else in the country," said Gonzales.
Nikki Mostiller is one of thousands of post-Katrina citizens now counted among the nation's transitionally homeless population. Mostiller is currently living at the newly renovated New Orleans Mission Women's Center, a 100-year-old building that HomeAid restored as part of its Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund. The Women's Center opened in March and has since been housing evacuees on a transitional basis while they find jobs and permanent housing in the City.
"Rebuilding my life with my daughter in New Orleans has been a struggle since Katrina," she said. "Housing for families is very limited in New Orleans and I have had to be separated from my daughter in order to search for a place to live and find a job. I am very excited that this Family Center is getting built so quickly, not only for me and my daughter, but for the many other single moms I meet who are in the same situation."
Beazer Homes' Houston contingent will extend the local project team consisting of Tulane University School of Architecture, JaRoy Construction, architectural firm Perez APC, and local architect Rodney A. Dionisio, who worked closely with the Tulane students from the project's conception.
"The addition of a national homebuilder like Beazer to this partnership underscores the enormous significance of this sustainable build project in the City's overall rebuilding effort," said Dr. Verderber. "The Family Center's green design will set the benchmark for smart rebuilding."
"We are thrilled to be able to participate in this project with HomeAid and Tulane University," said Kurt Watzek, president, Beazer Homes Houston Division. "The overwhelming need for family housing in New Orleans still exists, which is evident in Houston with so many evacuees still here, a year later, and unable to move back home. As a result, each member of our team brings a deep personal commitment to this project in hopes of helping our new neighbors rebuild their lives."
About the Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund
In addition to Ameriquest and its family of companies, other corporate partners in the Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund include Bassenian/Lagoni Architects; Beazer Homes, USA, Inc.; CALPASC; D. Kanter Engineering; David Weekley Homes; Doyle Stuckey Homes; GE Consumer and Industrial; Georgia-Pacific Corporation; Goodman Manufacturing; Green Mountain Building Co.; Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc.; Tilson Home Corporation; James Hardie; Masco Corporate Foundation; MBK Homes; Owens Corning Foundation; Pella Corporation; Schrenk & Peterson Consulting Engineers, Inc.; Shea Homes; Suncoast Post-Tension; and Taylor Woodrow Homes.
For more information or to make a donation to HomeAid's "Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund," visit www.homeaid.org. Contributions can also be sent to HomeAid Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund, 3919 Westerly Place, Suite 200, Newport Beach, CA 92660.
About HomeAid
HomeAid is a leading national non-profit provider of housing for today's homeless. Founded in 1989, the organization has built housing for more than 60,000 men, women and children. Established by the Building Industry Association of Southern California, an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), HomeAid has completed 125 housing projects nationwide with another 58 projects currently in development. HomeAid includes a network of 17 chapters in 11 states and three offices in Newport Beach, CA (headquarters); Washington, D.C.; and New Orleans, LA (for hurricane-rebuilding efforts). For more information about HomeAid, call 949-258-0850 or visit homeaid.org.
The HomeAid logo is available at: http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2388
About Beazer Homes USA, Inc.
Beazer Homes USA, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, is the sixth largest homebuilder in the country, based on number of homes closed. Its operations are geographically diversified in 22 states across the country and the company also provides mortgage origination and title services to its homebuyers. Beazer Homes, a Fortune 500 company, has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 1994 under the ticker symbol "BZH."
As HomeAid's first national sponsor in 1997, Beazer Homes is proud to report spearheading 12 shelter projects during the past nine years. Employees and trade partners have dedicated time, expertise and resources to shelter projects and local HomeAid chapters. Ian McCarthy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Beazer Homes, serves as co-chairman of HomeAid's National Board of Directors.
About Beazer Homes Houston Division
With more than 5,000 families living in a Beazer Home in Houston, Beazer Homes has grown since 1994 to become one of the areas top builders. The Greater Houston Builders Association named Beazer Homes Houston "2006 Builder of the Year" for excelling in quality, customer service and commitment to the community. Committed to serving the community, Beazer Homes Houston's involvement with HomeAid began with the Bonita Street House of Hope project, in which Beazer Homes was the co-builder for the $4 million multi-family transitional housing complex. Beazer Homes Houston, an Energy Star builder, has also been involved with Ronald McDonald House, the Make a Wish Foundation, Habitat for Humanity/Jimmy Carter Work Project, the Boy Scouts of America and the GHBA Families in Need Program.
About Tulane University School of Architecture
Professional courses in architecture have been offered at Tulane for more than a century. The school's graduates during this period have risen to positions of stature locally, regionally, and nationally within the architectural profession, and in the various allied design professions. Many of the school's faculty and its graduates have achieved stature in the arena of civic engagement in New Orleans and beyond. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the School has redoubled its activities in urban design in the rebuilding of the devastated city.
About ACC Capital Holdings and its Affiliate Companies
ACC Capital Holdings (ACH) is a national financial services company based in Orange, CA. The ACH family of companies originate, service and securitize a range of mortgage products. With operations nationwide, the ACH companies and their associates share a common mission of helping Americans reach their financial goals and achieve their home ownership dreams. The companies also demonstrate their commitment to communities through a wide array of partnerships, outreach programs and community investments. ACH subsidiaries include Ameriquest Mortgage Company (retail mortgage loan origination), Argent Mortgage Company (wholesale mortgage loan origination) and AMC Mortgage Services (loan servicing and capital markets). For more information about Ameriquest Mortgage Company, Argent Mortgage, and AMC Mortgage Services, please visit: www.ameriquest.com, www.argentmortgage.com, or www.amcmortgageservices.com.
About The New Orleans Mission
The New Orleans Mission is a 501 (c) 3 non profit charity that was founded in 1989 to serve the city's poor and disadvantaged. Prior to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Mission was one of the largest private service providers for the homeless in New Orleans serving over 30,000 meals monthly, distributing clothing to the needy and providing shelter for up to 300 men and women nightly, all for free. The Mission also offered free medical, legal and employment assistance, and ran a one-year rehabilitation program to help adults overcome addictions. In today's post-Katrina environment, the Mission's doors are open to single women wishing to establish their lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. A 32-bed Family Center that will house women and children is currently under construction, and a 200-bed facility is scheduled to break ground in 2007 that will house homeless single men and women.