Neighborhood Revitalization in Orleans Parish
Rebuilding Together New Orleans (RTNO) was founded in 1988. Our goal is to improve the quality of life of low-income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly, disabled, veterans, or single head of households with minor children.
Current Program
RTNO has quickly grown into one of the largest home rehabilitation non-profit organizations in New Orleans, completing over 850 home repair and community revitalization projects since 2005. By focusing our program in target neighborhoods, RTNO meets the needs of the communities we serve quickly and efficiently by leveraging corporate, private and public dollars, volunteer labor, and help from the AmeriCorps program. We are currently focused on meeting the growing need to make homes safer through aging in place repairs, energy-efficiency repairs, and moderate kitchen and bathroom repairs. These repairs strengthen neighborhoods by allowing low-income homeowners to stay in their longtime homes as the age, inhibiting blight from spreading, and keeping invested homeowners in place.
Mission Statement
Repairing homes, revitalizing communities, rebuilding lives.
Vision Statement
Safe homes and communities for everyone.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
At RTNO, we believe that every person deserves to be treated with respect. Rebuilding Together is dedicated to providing harassment-free events for everyone, regardless of gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, and religion (or lack thereof). Harassment includes offensive gestures or verbal comments related to ethnicity, religion, disability, physical appearance, gender, or sexual orientation in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome attention. This also includes sexual harassment consisting of but not limited to, unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature. RTNO reserves the right to remove anyone from site who does not respect this policy.
History
Rebuilding Together New Orleans is an independent nonprofit organization that focuses on providing health and safety repairs to New Orleans Residents using a combination of volunteer and professional labor. We are an affiliate of Rebuilding Together, a national affiliate network that shares our mission and vision in communities across the country.
Rebuilding Together New Orleans (RTNO) started in 1988 when the Preservation Resource Center instituted a one-day neighborhood revitalization pilot program in the Lower Garden District. Named Christmas in October, the pilot program was modeled after the national Christmas in April program. It was implemented to address the needs of existing homeowners, namely the elderly and disabled who had become ill equipped to manage home repair.
In 1988, 11 homes and 1 school were painted and repaired, utilizing 373 volunteers provided by 14 corporate and community groups. A total budget of $24,349 was raised through corporate donations.
By 2005, Rebuilding Together New Orleans (RTNO) had become a major component of the overall Preservation Resource Center neighborhood revitalization effort and an affiliate in the top 4% of Rebuilding Together National programs nationwide. At the start of 2005, RTNO had worked on 900 owner occupied houses, seven neighborhood schools, six community centers, a courthouse and a warehouse through expansion and hardworking volunteers.
After Hurricane Katrina, RTNO modified its mission to aid those displaced by the storm. Instead of only smaller projects, RTNO began to focus on the total renovation and rebuilding of storm-damaged homes. By reinvesting in and restoring the existing housing stock of the city, RTNO was able to bring homeowners back to their homes, as well as provide a model for restoring and preserving New Orleans’ historic neighborhoods.
In 2019, RTNO became its own, independent 501(c)(3) organization. While keeping a focus on the national network’s mission of a safe and healthy home for everyone, RTNO also continues to respond to hurricanes and other disasters and is committed to the long-term recovery and revitalization of New Orleans neighborhoods.
