![]() “ now have the home that they have always wanted,” says Stallworth. The quality of homes created through the organizations’ collaboration has encouraged residents not to abandon East Biloxi. The idea that people would be able to would never work.” “Most people have never built a home before. According to Stallworth, this model of service simplified the process for residents. The two organizations shared office space in an old church building and created a one-stop shop for residents who were ready to rebuild or repair their homes. Image courtesy of Gulf Coast Community Design Studio. Rebuilt homes in East Biloxi reflect the unique needs of residents and were designed to withstand severe weather. This allowed us to create a very efficient design process,” notes Perkes in discussing the division of labor between studio and relief center staff and volunteers. “We were downstream from case management. Studio staff focused on the technical aspects of design and construction, while the relief center provided outreach and case management services to residents and identified funds for rebuilding. Perkes used the URAP funding along with other financial support to hire 12 architects to work with residents on rebuilding and repairing their homes. The maps Perkes and his colleagues produced marked the beginning of a longstanding partnership that was formalized with a 2005 URAP grant. “And, you know, if it’s not too much trouble, can I have an architect? And David comes down, we meet, and it’s an answer to a prayer, as he brings several architects with him.” “I asked the Lord for help in sending people our way,” recalls Stallworth. There, Perkes met then-city council member Bill Stallworth, founder of the relief center. In the storm’s aftermath, the East Biloxi Coordination and Relief Center (known today as HOPE Community Development Agency) became the hub for local relief assistance. Many low-income residents faced the seemingly impossible challenge of rebuilding. As the storm hit the state, low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast suffered the most damage more than 5,000 East Biloxi homes were flooded as the storm pushed a wall of water over the narrow peninsula. Of that total, a $300,000 grant helped seed Mississippi State University’s Gulf Coast Community Design Studio in East Biloxi.Īlthough the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans captured much of the nation’s attention, in Mississippi, the storm destroyed or damaged tens of thousands of homes and left more than half of the state’s residents without power. URAP was launched immediately after hurricanes Katrina and Rita the initiative included $2 million for design collaborations between affected communities and architectural and planning schools across the country. The studio is a product of Universities Rebuilding America Partnerships (URAP), a joint effort of HUD’s Office of University Partnerships and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Its community-based architectural practice engages students and professionals in design, planning, and research. In the eight years since the maps were created, the studio has played a critical role in rebuilding a more resilient Gulf Coast. They were used to make decisions about relief priorities and to track recovery efforts. The maps prepared by Perkes and his colleagues detailed the extent of storm damage. Perkes was one of the many volunteers who traveled to East Biloxi, Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina to assist with emergency relief and recovery. ![]() “The first thing we did was to make maps,” recalls David Perkes, associate professor of architecture at Mississippi State University and founding director of the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio. ![]() ![]() Gulf Coast Design Studio staff produced a map detailing housing conditions and the extent of storm damage in East Biloxi. Grantee Spotlight: Universities Share Housing Counseling with Their Communities and Each Other Community (Re)Building in East Biloxi, Mississippi Anchor Institutions: A Review of the LiteratureĬommunity (Re)Building in East Biloxi, Mississippi ![]()
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