NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 19, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- HomeAid, a leading national non-profit provider of housing for today's homeless, announced the opening of its 20th nationwide chapter in the nation's capital. The new chapter will be named HomeAid Washington, D.C., and was created through a partnership with the Home Builders Care Foundation (HBCF), the charitable affiliate of the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association (MNCBIA). With the generous support of the local home building industry, HomeAid Washington, D.C. will build housing facilities to cope with the city's rising homeless population as well as enable homeless individuals and families to get back on their feet after a life circumstance has rendered them without a home.
According to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments 2006 Homeless Enumeration Report, more than 12,000 people in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area are homeless, including people who are living on the streets, staying in shelters or living in transitional (or temporary) housing. More than 40 percent are members of families, with about one-third of them being children.
"Contrary to common misconceptions about homelessness, more than 80 percent of homeless individuals and families do not live on the streets. Locally, nearly one-third of homeless adults are employed and merely need a place to stay while they rebuild their lives," said Michael J. Conley, president of the Home Builders Care Foundation. "With approximately 180 homeless service providers working in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to prevent and end homelessness, there is a great need in the community to progressively address the rising homeless population by doing what our industry does best: build housing."
The new chapter's first building project will be a to-be-determined permanent-supportive housing facility where homeless people can live as long as they choose and have access to services they need for as long as they need them.
For more than 20 years, HBCF has cost-effectively and efficiently improved housing and shelter facilities for the homeless and others at risk in the suburban counties of Maryland. In 2000, HBCF collaborated with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services to construct a new permanent 100-bed emergency shelter for homeless men in Rockville. Conley commented, "Our collaboration with HomeAid to launch the Washington, D.C. chapter will help us further extend our community service efforts in the District. We hope this new endeavor will greatly enhance our impact serving the poor and homeless in the city, who are some of the neediest among us."
"HomeAid offers a national solution for enabling homeless people to regain self-sufficiency by working with our building industry partners to build housing facilities that are donated to service providers who help a community's homeless population," said Genette Eaton, chief executive officer of HomeAid. "Through our builders' contributions of time and resources, HomeAid multiplies the effect every dollar donated two- to three-fold to build beds for and give hope to the homeless."
According to Eaton, donations from the organization's partners were instrumental in the founding of HomeAid Washington, D.C. HomeAid's national office will pass $25,000 in seed funding from Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE:CFC), America's #1 home loan lender*, to HomeAid Washington, D.C. for operational expenses.
"Home is what Countrywide is all about, so we strongly believe that a great nation must provide hope and opportunity for those who don't have one," said Jack Haynes, executive vice president of Countrywide's national builder division. "Our philanthropic efforts target well-managed, innovative non-profit organizations such as HomeAid that align strongly with our values and criteria, and we're pleased to support our friends in the building industry who are dedicated to the HomeAid cause."
* As ranked for 2006 by Inside Mortgage Finance (Feb. 2, 2007), (c) 2007
About Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association
Established in 1954 as an affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association (MNCBIA) is a regional non-profit trade organization representing the interests of more than 730 companies and more than 18,000 individuals in the building and development industry operating in Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and St. Mary's counties in Maryland and the city of Washington, D.C. It is additionally affiliated with the Maryland State Builders Association (MSBA). For more information, visit the organization's website www.mncbia.org.
About Home Builders Care Foundation
Founded in 1984 as Operation Tom Sawyer, the Home Builders Care Foundation (HBCF) is a 501 (c) (3) organization and the primary community outreach program of MNCBIA. The mission of HBCF is, utilizing the specialized building construction skills of the building industry, to work collaboratively with existing community service providers, such as other non-profit agencies and governmental agencies serving the homeless and at-risk populations, to complete shelter-related projects. For more information about Home Builders Care, visit www.hbcf.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 72,000 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 more than 135 housing projects nationwide with another 58 projects currently in development. HomeAid includes a network of 20 chapters in 14 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.
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