CEO Message From Jim LeBlanc

Dear Friends,

Here’s an astounding fact.

Volunteers of America’s Elysian Courtyards apartments in Gentilly, which opened in 2010, has a waiting list of 1,100 people. That’s right, 1,100 people. They signed up to wait for one- and two-bedroom apartments with monthly rents starting at $620, with reduced rent options for low-income persons. The 150 apartments were fully occupied as soon as they opened.

It’s obvious that, six years after Katrina, the need for affordable housing in metro New Orleans is acute. Decent affordable places to live are still hard to come by, especially for low-income families and persons with special needs.

Volunteers of America predicted, soon after the storm, that affordable housing would be in short supply for years to come. That’s why we started our Coming Back Home program to help rebuild.

It’s important to point out that all Volunteers of America housing initiatives are designed to extend a hand up, not a hand out, to those in real need. Each development is fiscally well-managed and beautifully designed. The goal is not just to supply affordable places to live but to give families pride in their homes and, in developments such as The Groves, promote home ownership.

This program exemplifies what Volunteer of America is all about. For more than 100 years, we've designed effective ways to meet the most pressing human needs in the communities we serve. We see people who are hurting, who have no place else to go, and we figure out a way to provide genuine assistance that transforms their lives.

We need you to be our partners in our life-saving, live-changing work. Make a financial gift, volunteer and spread the word. Helping our neighbors is essential to the long-term vitality of our communities.