One of the hundreds of organizations that came to St. Tammany Parish after Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild was Humanity for Humanity, and in the five years since, this non-profit has done a lot not only to house people who desperately needed shelter, but the East St. Tammany Habitat for Humanity has become an integral part of the area’s economy and community.

The organization, which helps families who can’t afford to buy a house through normal channels, has been building homes all over the world. When Hurricane Katrina hit the area, Habitat for Humanity International saw a big need for their services.

Caitlin Scanlan, director of development for East St. Tammany Habitat for Humanity explained that the international arm of the organization started funneling donations to the Gulf Coast.

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“Every dollar they sent us went to recovery,” Scanlan said.

That money was quickly put to good use. A local woman, Paulette Lindsey and her family had lost everything in the storm. She applied to Habitat for Humanity, and she met the qualifications. Soon volunteers were gathering on Terrace Avenue in Slidell to help her build a house.

The project caught the eye of the national media, and became a pet project for the staff and cast of the NBC morning show “Today.” The shows Anne Curry, along with crooner Harry Connick Jr. came to pound nails and saw wood.

By October 2005, Lindsay and her family were living in the first house built by Habitat for Humanity on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

Since that time, East St. Tammany Habitat for Humanity has helped 121 families build 97 homes in Slidell, Lacombe, Alton and Pearl River.

Scanlan said the new homeowners are a mixture of families that were victims of Katrina, and others that just wanted to own their own home.

Scanlan emphasized that Habitat for Humanity does not give away the homes. The new homeowners do have to buy the homes with the help of no-interest mortgages. Besides paying back the mortgage, each homeowner has to put in 250 hours of “sweat equity.” That is, they actually have to help the volunteers build the house, or else work on other Habitat homes.

“We address the need for housing for families that are hard working, have jobs, but just can’t get a home,” Scanlan explained.

She said that the new homeowners keep helping Habitat even after their homes are finished. For example, Lindsey’s children still go out and help build other houses, plus they are local marketers for Habitat, encouraging people to donate to the organization.

Scanlan said that after the storm, Slidell Mayor Ben Morris and his administration saw the need for housing and “moved mountains” to help Habitat in their mission.

Now, East St. Tammany Habitat for Humanity is leaving its recovery mode and moving into it service to the community mode. They are still building houses – lots of them. Before the storm, Habitat for Humanity’s goal was to build two houses a year. After the storm, that goal was increased to five houses a year, and the East St. Tammany chapter had done more than its share.

“In a way, it is all because of Katrina,” Scanlan said.

The organization recently contracted for an economic impact study on the community.

Scanlan said that Habitat for Humanity injects $3.4 million a year into the local economy.

She explained volunteers come to the area from all over the country. While they are here, they spend money for food and shelter. The volunteers try to buy all the construction supplies from local dealers. After the homes are built, the new homeowners start paying property taxes, and of course sales taxes.

“It is a huge catalyst to the local economy,” Scanlan said.

There is another benefit to the organization’s grand mission. A lot of the volunteers fall in love with the area and stay here, becoming residents and helping the economy.

East St. Tammany Habitat now employs some of the volunteers for Humanity. The organization’s executive director, Debbie Crouch started out as a volunteer. Scanlan said a lot of workers quit lucrative jobs elsewhere to work for Habitat.

“We have people who are qualified to do the work, but their hearts are with the mission of Habitat,” Scanlan said. “We believe that every family, no matter where they come from deserves to have their dignity saved by living in a safe, clean house.”