NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Dec. 10, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- HomeAid, a leading national non-profit provider of housing for today's homeless, announced the opening of its 22nd nationwide chapter in the nation's largest city. The new chapter will be named HomeAid New York City and was created through a partnership with the Building Industry Association of New York City (BIANYC). With the generous support of the local home building industry, along with national partners Bank of America and ProBuild, HomeAid New York City will build housing facilities across the five boroughs 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 Coalition for the Homeless, the number of homeless families in New York City increased by 17.6 percent in the years 2006 and 2007. Thousands of families with young children crowd the city's shelter system each month comprising 78.9 percent of the total shelter population in the city. In February 2007, there were an estimated 14,287 homeless children within New York City's urban limits. This number increased 18.1 percent from the previous year. In the face of these overwhelming numbers, the Building Industry Association of New York City decided to take a stand on the front line in New York's fight against homelessness.
"Our Association has supported many different charities through its long history," said Association Executive Vice President Lawrence Brinker, "But our members felt they wanted to focus all our energy on a housing-related program such as HomeAid." Brinker went on to say, "We felt that giving money to charities, while certainly worthwhile, did not truly showcase the giving nature and specific talents of our builders. Additionally, when the money is spent, it is gone. What we build with our hands will last for generations."
"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."
"Donations from our national partners were instrumental in the founding of HomeAid New York City," added Eaton. Bank of America played a key role through funding the development of HomeAid's proprietary chapter expansion model that details the process whereby HomeAid works with local building industry associations, service providers and community leaders to form a chapter.
ProBuild Holdings, Inc., the nation's largest supplier of building materials to professional contractors, directly funded chapter expansion efforts on the East Coast through a significant multi-year commitment that broadens HomeAid's reach into new communities in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states to provide transitional housing for the temporarily homeless.
HomeAid New York City is poised to make a tangible difference by creating hope and change in a city with a serious homeless problem. "Many of our members, including myself, are military veterans and are eager to work with HomeAid's national office on a veteran's project. While certainly there are many deserving groups, we feel that at this time in America's history our military veteran population is the most deserving of our effort," said Brinker. The Association's first fundraiser will be a "Super 50-50" at its annual holiday party in December. The BIANYC hopes to have its first project identified by the end of the first quarter of 2008. Brinker added, "We will start hammering nails in the second quarter."
About the Building Industry Association of New York City
First chartered in 1953 our association is a local affiliate of the National Association of Home Builders, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing more than 235,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing, and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. We are "the voice of the housing industry." For more information visit the organization's website at www.webuildnyc.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 80,000 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 150 housing projects nationwide with another 62 projects currently in development. HomeAid includes a network of 22 chapters in 16 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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