These single-family homes are being built for New Orleans musicians in Musicians Village, located in the Upper 9th Ward.

New Orleans area musicians and residents are coming back to the city and living in new houses being built by the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity.

The houses are wood-framed houses with fiber cement siding and are built to withstand 140 mph winds. The houses are built with a continuous load path, which is a method of construction that uses a system of metal connectors, fasteners (like nails and screws) and shearwalls to connect the structural frame of the house. This system ties the house together from the roof to the foundation.

Jim Pate, executive director for NOAHH, said the houses are built to comply with the International Building Code.

“We are building these homes just as we have been building homes for the past seven years,” Pate said. “We have had zero structural damage to any of the houses we have built. So, we believe we are doing the right thing.”

The houses for the musicians are being built in Musicians’ Village located in the Upper 9^th Ward. A total of 47 homes have been built so far, with another 23 homes slated to be built later this year.

“The village also will have a toddler-friendly pocket park and the Ellis Marsalis Center for music,” Pate said.

The Musicians' Village was an idea conceived by musicians Harry Connick Jr. and Branford Marsalis. The idea came about as a way to rebuild the cultural music fabric of New Orleans after many musicians were forced to leave when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005.

“Jazz, blues and other genres that are the city's musical core cannot return until the musicians return,” Pate said. “Building these homes gives the musicians something to return to and, in turn, will help bring back New Orleans.”

The homes are being built on eight acres of land in the Upper 9th Ward where the core area of the Musicians' Village will be located. In addition to the houses in this tract, plans call for building at least 150 other houses in the surrounding Upper 9th Ward neighborhood. Construction began in March 2006. The first 10 homeowners moved into their new homes in August 2006.

The houses sell for about $75,000, which is paid over 20 or 30 years through a zero-interest loan, Pate said. With homeowners and flood insurance, property taxes, termite coverage and the monthly mortgage payment, it costs an average of $550 to $600 per month for 20 years or $450 to $500 per month for 30 years.

“This is less than what many people pay for rent,” he said. “And the people are putting equity in to a home of their own. This is a great opportunity for many people.”

To quality for the program, applicants must have good or no credit, a need for housing and meet the organization’s income guidelines. These guidelines require a minimum annual income of $18,620. The maximum annual income depends on the number of people in the household.

“Applications are based on three criteria,” Pate said. “These are: ability to pay, a need for shelter and willingness to partner.”

In lieu of a traditional down payment, Habitat Partner Families contribute 350 hours of “sweat equity” to the building of their homes and the homes of other Habitat Partner Families.

“While c

The houses in Musicians' Village are wood framed houses built to withstand 140 mph winds.

ompleting sweat equity hours, Partner Families learn construction and repair skills necessary to maintain their homes,” Pate said. “Equity accrued through homeownership provides financial security for generations to come.”

Even children in the Partner Families participate in sweat equity by earning hours through good grades in school.

Habitat for Humanity International launched “Operation Home Delivery,” a three-phase response to help provide assistance and rebuilding opportunities in New Orleans and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The plan focuses, first, on helping Habitat affiliates who were hardest hit by Katrina restore some level of service. Then, Habitat will serve as a catalyst with other organizations, governments, corporations, foundations and so on to bring people together to talk about low-income housing and recovery on a scale that Habitat alone would be unable to do. And third, it will establish and implement a “home-in-a-box project" -- where homes are built at different locations nationwide and shipped to communities in the Gulf Coast region.

The homes will mirror traditional Habitat homes: simple, decent places to live, providing approximately 1,100 square feet to 1,300 square feet of living space.

In addition to the Musicians’ Village, Habitat for Humanity is teaming up with the New Orleans Hornets in a campaign called "Hoops for Homes" to build 20 homes in the next year.

The campaign was launched on Nov. 20, 2005, with the NBA Legends Build campaign. Basketball greats Bob Pettit, Willis Reed, Bob Lanier, Artis Gilmore and Bill Walton from the NBA, as well as WNBA stars Temeka Johnson and Tamika Catchings, put down their basketballs and took up hammers and nails to help in construction of the first house at 2040 Delachaise. Homeowners Sandra and Byron Winston receive the keys to their home at a dedication ceremony on March 7, 2006.

Construction on a second Hornets-sponsored home started on Oct. 5, 2006. Eight more Hornet-sponsored homes are under construction in New Orleans East.

The New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity is also partnering with other agencies to help residents of St. Bernard Parish rebuild. In Phase 1, volunteers worked in 10-person teams, cleaning out a home in one or two days. Those homes were checked by volunteer recon teams for structural integrity and safety prior to entry by the volunteer teams. The volunteers salvaged family memorabilia and removed harmful debris.

The project is currently in Phase 2, which involves various community projects. Before long, the New Orleans Habitat for Humanity plans on building new Habitat homes in St. Bernard Parish.

Another project, the Baptist Crossroads Project, was slated to build 40 homes pre–Katrina. This project, funded through the Baptist Crossroads Foundation, has announced plans to expand the project 10-fold. The project kicked off June 6, 2006, and 30 homes were dedicated on Aug. 19, 2006.

Anyone interested in applying for a New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity home should call the Homeowner Hotline 504-861-2059 and request an application packet.