NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Nov. 30, 2006 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- With thousands of hurricane survivors still in housing crisis in Houston, HomeAid, the country's leading non-profit builder of transitional housing, announced the 11 a.m. CT, December 7 dedication of a new 48-bed transitional housing project called Wellsprings Village at 5031 Allum Road. The 14,850-square-foot facility features six, four-bedroom homes on three acres of land and is designed to serve evacuee women in crisis, including those who are victims of domestic violence -- a quiet, but critical demographic of evacuees who are in desperate need of a secure living environment. The dollar value of the construction project was $1,557,000.
HomeAid Houston, a chapter of HomeAid, worked closely with the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA) and its members to build Wellsprings Village. David Weekley Homes and Tilson Home Corporation served as builder captains on the project, providing donated construction management and supervision. These building companies, along with other GHBA member vendors and subcontractors, contributed $475,000 worth of construction management and professional services, as well as labor and materials, to the completed project, which ultimately will be owned and operated by Wellsprings Village.
Wellsprings Village is the largest housing project in HomeAid's Gulf Coast rebuilding effort that includes the construction of housing for hurricane-affected homeless families and individuals in Houston and New Orleans. Through a $3 million donation by Ameriquest Mortgage Company and its affiliates Argent Mortgage Company and AMC Mortgage Services, HomeAid created the Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund and, through it, has built three hurricane-evacuee housing projects along the Gulf Coast, with one more under construction in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans.
"In addition to providing a safe place to live, Wellsprings will provide supportive services for up to two years in a dignified and nurturing residential environment for women who are dealing with both hurricane-related challenges and personal crises at the same time. At Wellsprings, they will get the support and tools that they need to truly begin to rebuild their lives," said Genette Eaton, CEO of HomeAid.
The service providers behind Wellsprings have been working with local homeless coalition and disaster relief agencies, churches and area shelters to identify evacuee women who will benefit from their unique community and rebuilding support programs.
"Since 1988, Wellsprings has provided a safe, nurturing environment where homeless women escaping from domestic violence or recovering from the devastation caused by substance abuse, poverty, or illiteracy can work to become productive self-sustaining members of their community," states Carole Updyke, president of Wellsprings. "In this special case, we are honored to have been chosen by HomeAid and its national network of partners to be part of their supportive housing rebuilding efforts. We are thrilled to build these homes and open up our community to those evacuees who are in desperate need of housing and services."
Background on Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund
Wellsprings Village and HomeAid's other Gulf Coast rebuilding projects are financed by the Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund established in September 2005 as the result of a $3 million donation by Ameriquest Mortgage and its family of companies. In addition, other corporate partners in the Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund include Bassenian/Lagoni Architects, Beazer Homes USA, CALPASC, Crestwood Communities, D. Kanter Company, David Weekley Homes, Doyle Stuckey Homes, GE Consumer & Industrial, Georgia-Pacific Corporation, Goodman Manufacturing, Green Mountain Building Company, Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., James Hardie, JaRoy Construction, Inc., MASCO Corporate Foundation, MBK Homes, Olde World Builders & Remodelers, Owens Corning Foundation, Pella Corporation, Perez A Professional Corporation, Rodney A. Dionisio, Schrenk & Peterson Consulting Engineers, Inc., Shea Homes, Suncoast Post-Tension, Taylor Woodrow Homes, Tilson Home Corporation, and Tulane University.
"We are extremely proud of the work we have done and the impact these housing projects will have in helping evacuees rebuild their lives," said Eaton. "We would not have been able to do this had it not been for the support of companies like Ameriquest Mortgage Company and others in corporate America, which allowed us to respond to the housing crisis by leveraging HomeAid's deep building industry resources and proven shelter development model," said Eaton.
For more information, or to make a donation to HomeAid's "Gulf Coast Rebuilding Fund" or its ongoing mission, visit www.homeaid.org.
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 136 multi-unit facilities nationwide with another 56 projects currently in development. HomeAid includes a network of 18 chapters in 12 states and four offices in Newport Beach, CA (headquarters); Washington, D.C.; Augusta, GA; and New Orleans, LA (for hurricane-rebuilding efforts). For more information about HomeAid, call 1-888-3HOMEAID or visit www.homeaid.org.
The HomeAid logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2388
About Greater Houston Builders Association
Chartered in 1941, the Greater Houston Builders Association is a trade association representing all aspects of the residential building industry in the greater Houston area. The association interacts with the government, community and general public to enhance the business climate for its members, and to provide quality obtainable housing to the community it serves. The association is also active in community outreach and charitable events.
About HomeAid Houston
Established in 2003 as a 501(c) (3), non-profit organization by the Greater Houston Builders Association, HomeAid Houston is a chapter of HomeAid, the nation's largest provider of transitional housing for the temporarily homeless. As one of 22 chapters, HomeAid Houston works with non-profit homeless agencies to build and renovate housing for the transitionally homeless. By working with builders, remodelers, vendors and suppliers of the Greater Houston Builders Association, HomeAid Houston is able to build transitional housing using donated labor and materials, effectively leveraging contributions made to the organization. Bonita Street House of Hope, a 199-bed facility, was the first project of HomeAid Houston and was opened in the spring of 2005.
About ACC Capital Holdings and its Affiliate Companies
ACC Capital Holdings, parent to Ameriquest Mortgage, AMC Mortgage Services, and Argent Mortgage, is headquartered in Orange, Calif. As national mortgage companies they help people achieve their home ownership dreams and financial freedom. To fulfill that mission, they originate and service home mortgage loans throughout the United States. ACC Capital Holdings and its affiliates employ thousands of associates nationwide. For more information about Ameriquest, Argent and AMC Mortgage Services visit www.ameriquest.com, www.amcmortgageservices.com, and www.argentmortgage.com.