She shrugs, hands in the pockets of her worn purple sports jacket. "Well, we lived on the streets for a while 'cuz the hotels were full. Then we moved in with Uncle, out ta Texas."
Teresa Ross is tough. That's (Terr-eh-sah), not (Ter-eeee-sah), as she pointed out to a volunteer who let the 'long e' slip. She needs help to get back home, but in no way is she a charity case. She offers me a coke at the end of the day as we stand n' chat in the doorway of her half-rebuilt-home in New Orleans East, shooting the breeze after a productive week. "Don't ya drink coke?"
I was given the notice that I would be the Site Supervisor at Teresa Ross's home back at the beginning of January. Ecstatic, I remained on the edge of my seat in anticipation every Friday to read the schedule and see if I would be placed at Teresa's house the following Monday. But weeks came and went.
Our specialty crews are quick & efficient, and I found myself wondering what all the hold-up was. "Next week?" I would ask. The question was usually followed by a head shake from my past Project Manager, Johnnie, who would then follow it up with "Nah, you just wait. You'll get your house. You just learn while you work now. Get good at it." So I spent every week helping to fix any problems with construction in our 'Opportunity Houses' which are built to be sold to low income families. I did get pretty good at it... but I was really itching to start leading volunteers again.
It took the passing of a few weeks before I heard any news. "We're short on funding for Teresa's house." Funding? Short on funding? I know we obviously depend on that - but this is Teresa Ross, perhaps the most well-known waitlisted homeowner we have. Everyone hears her story because her situation is so pressing. How have private donors not seen the need? What about the Corporations? Wouldn't she be a perfect client to support?
Me, volunteer Stephanie, and Teresa "peace"Teresa's story is unimaginable. She's a school bus driver, and a single mom of two, Judina (17), and Judiah (12). She purchased her home in New Orleans East in 2003, only 2 years before Hurricane Katrina released her waters on the city. Her daughter was 10, and her son only 5 years old when they had to evacuate. Teresa and the children searched for hotels, but they were all full. They found themselves on the streets for a while, before she was able to connect with her wealthy Uncle in Texas, who then took the family in.
The timetable for returning home was ungraspable. How long would they be away? The flood waters within hours after Katrina had risen to 15 feet, and then waned to 8 feet for the following three weeks. There was no doubt that they wouldn't be able to return home for a very long time.
"I don't like crowds." Teresa says. Despite a roof over their head, and food in their bellies, they could not stay in Texas. It was not home. Her family had been crammed into a house with several other family members and friends for almost a year. Teresa's independent nature soon took them away from Texas and brought them back to New Orleans East.
Teresa was more than ready to get the ball rolling on her house. She contacted a contractor who began work on her house not long after she got home. And she began doing her own small projects throughout the house, too. But, like the common story of so many, the contractor was a fraud and ran away with $16,000 and Teresa's faith in humanity. Not only that, but the Road Home money she was allotted was lost to a forced mortgage payment on her house. She was faced with many decisions.
Leaving New Orleans was not an option. It's home, and she had already overcome so many obstacles to be where she was. So Teresa got to work, rebuilding her home on her own. But two robberies provided a lot of set-backs. To Teresa, it only meant that she would have to take more desperate measures to keep her home safe. "I slept in that front room there, for about a year." A room that was tyveked, but had no drywall, and no insulation. And Teresa bought a guard dog - a German Shepherd that would scare the pants off Chuck Norris.
Teresa contacted the St. Bernard Project around the same time that she began living in her gutted home- around May of 2011. She wouldn't let her children live in the cold, breezy, water & electric-less place that Teresa called home, so they moved in with their grandmother and father. Teresa came to the decision that something needed to change, and agreed she needed some help.
So in November of 2011 we began construction on the house. So much needed done, including mold-remediation, new framework, and new plumbing and electric. It was a struggle. Nobody could work while the German Shepherd was around, fleas became a problem, and the funding was lacking to commit to the rebuild. Thankfully, over the course of these somewhat lengthy issues, a donor bought Teresa a trailer to live in so that she was out of the cold and finally reunited with plumbing and electric.
On Monday February 27th, 2012, after much labor & fundraising, Teresa was greeted by the first group of volunteers that would begin the next 8-12 consecutive weeks of construction on her home. Insulation & drywall were placed on the walls in week number one. To say that we were all excited to finally help bring this woman home, was an understatement. Nicole Spade & I lead a group of high schoolers and church-goers from New Hampshire and New Jersey who simply would not take "time to clean up" for an answer.
And so, pardon my french, shit got done. We're gonna get her back into a high quality, efficiently built home, by April 18th. Alright, ya heard me. April 18th. It's a lofty goal, but that's what we do.
St. Bernard Project - Changing the Homes & Lives of Katrina Survivors.
Werd.
