NEW ORLEANS (May 20, 2009) – Project Home Again (PHA) announced today that it has moved into a second phase of home construction in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans. The nonprofit, affordable housing development organization, which was created and funded by Leonard and Louise Riggio of New York City, is breaking ground on 12 additional energy-efficient, single-family homes to be given to families who lost their properties during Hurricane Katrina.  Project Home Again built 20 homes in Gentilly, which were turned over to local families this past January.  The 12 additional homes now being built will be on properties that were destroyed by Katrina and have remained vacant since the storm. They are scheduled to be completed and occupied by September 2009.

The houses will be dispersed through an application process that opens today. Interested families should visit www.projecthomeagain.net to download an application or call (866) 550-4PHA (4742) to have an application mailed. Applications can also be picked up at 4310 Chef Menteur Highway Suite E, New Orleans, LA, 70126, between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, until June 18. Details of the program and eligibility requirements can also be found on the website www.projecthomeagain.net.

In January, families began moving into 20 furnished, two, three and four bedroom homes that Project Home Again built on St. Bernard Avenue near the former St. Bernard Housing Development. The craftsman-style houses are elevated above the minimum base flood elevations and include termite resistant framing, low-e windows, and insulation techniques that enable the houses to use 40% less energy than comparable houses in the region.

Leonard Riggio, founder and chairman of Barnes & Noble Booksellers, created Project Home Again after he and his wife Louise watched the devastation on television caused by Katrina in August 2005.  “Rebuilding a city is something that cannot only be done by the government.  It also requires the help of citizens and organizations.  Louise and I came to New Orleans just a few months after Katrina and, after seeing the devastation first-hand, knew we had to do our part to help rebuild this great city,” said Mr. Riggio.  “As a New Yorker, I’ve seen neighborhoods in my own city that had been written off 20 years ago become vibrant areas. We can do the same for New Orleans.  We know that New Orleans will come back, stronger than ever.”

Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell responded to the news with praise for the first phase and excitement over the second. “Gentilly is one of New Orleans’ rock solid neighborhoods. It is a neighborhood where families come to raise their kids, know their neighbors and maintain our every day traditions. If Gentilly doesn’t flourish, the city won’t flourish. The Riggios recognize this about Gentilly and their generosity is helping us come back.”