In phase II of the Rebuilding Demonstration, ACORN and its partners will work to rehabilitate the units that have been preserved previously and build new single family and rental units where the properties are too far damaged to be saved.

To do so, ACORN will partner with both large builders and smaller ones that are experienced with in-fill construction. The resulting properties will be sold to low and moderate income home-buyers using public programs to ensure that the homes are sold affordably.

In these developments, we will work to ensure that low-income people are employed in construction jobs for the developments, and have the opportunity to acquire new skills and receive a decent wage for their labor. We will also engage local small businesses and minority contractors and suppliers in the developments.

Considerable financial resources will be needed to undertake this phase of the initiative. Definitive costs have yet to be developed as there are a number of unknowns such as revisions to the city building code; the development of resident-driven rebuilding plans for the various neighborhoods; and the determination of what kinds of federal assistance will be available to facilitate the rebuilding process.

It is not too early to begin identifying partners that are willing to commit the financial and other resources to work with ACORN that will be needed to get the job done. Our members have waited long enough.

ACORN Housing was selected as a district planner because they had "exceptional capacity" for planning. Pratt Institute, Louisiana State University, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champagne and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, among others, are members of the ACORN Housing team.  The Unified New Orleans Plan is being financed primarily by a $3.5 million grant from the Rockefeller Foundation and $1 million from the Greater New Orleans Foundation. The plan is due to be completed by December 31, 2006.

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1. Donate Online, Save a Home, make an in-kind donation , or send your tax-deductible donation to:

ACORN Services, Inc
1016 Elysian Fields Ave
New Orleans, LA 70117

2. Volunteer

3. Hold a Fundraiser

4. Spread the Word

5. Donate your Vehicle by calling 1-800-766-CARE

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