Director of U.S. Field Operations Kirk Lyman-Barner has announced that the new partner will be The Fuller Center for Housing of New Iberia, La., Inc. The city, located in the middle of the southern coast of Louisiana, has a population of just over 30,000 residents. It’s in the heart of bayou country with an elevation of about 20 feet above sea level.

FCH New Iberia will focus on an area known as “The West End.” It’s an area with which the president of the new covenant partner, Eleanor Shaw, is well-acquainted through her work with another community improvement effort there.

New Iberia

“I am tremendously excited to welcome Eleanor Shaw and The Fuller Center for Housing of New Iberia,” Lyman-Barner said. “Eleanor’s team brings experience to a community with great needs through her efforts with The West End Beautification Project. By concentrating on this one community of nearly 4,000 residents, we are certain that her team of volunteers will be successful in revitalizing the community and in their efforts to restore strong-family-centered vibrancy the area once knew.”

Shaw describes the West End community as an area where many properties have been torn down due to years of neglect, leaving vacant lots and a shortage of homes — not to mention a shortage of spirit.

It’s something with which Lee Jeter, who leads the Fuller Center of Northwest Louisiana in Shreveport is familiar. He has seen the Allendale community completely transformed by The Fuller Center’s work there. It was Jeter who helped Shaw connect with The Fuller Center.

“Eleanor learned about The Fuller Center through Lee Jeter, executive director of our Northwest Louisiana-Shreveport team,” Lyman-Barner said. “Word of mouth is always the best referral for our ministry.”

In addition to New Iberia and Northwest Louisiana, The Fuller Center also has presences in the Louisiana communities of Hammond and Webster Parish, which hosted the 2011 Millard Fuller Legacy Build.

As 2011 winds down, now is the time to make those last-minute donations to include on your 2011 tax returns.

Looking for some last minute tax-deductible giving opportunities that don’t just help you out on your taxes but also benefit families?

The Fuller Center of Northwest Louisiana Inc, has completed 43 new homes, 53 Greater Blessing (Rehab) projects.

We are excited about completing Fuller Grocery at 300 North Allen and the opening of Fuller Surplus Store in 2012.

We celebrated the this holiday by blessing our homeowners and neighbors with toys from the Toys for Tots program to our families that had children 11 years of age or younger, in addition we received some special donations from some dear friends and supports for three of our families that experience extreme hardship this year.

Thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Shreveport & Brookshire’s Spirit of Christmas Food Drive some of our most distressed families and community residences also received food baskets this holiday season.

We would like to thank each and every one of you for showing the spirit of Christ this Holiday season.

Sincerely,

Lee A. Jeter, Sr.
Executive Director
Fuller Center for Housing NWLA

Renee Hooks of Shreveport talks about how Glen Barton went above and beyond the call of duty to help her.

Family, friends and colleagues of Glen Barton gathered today at The Fuller Center for Housing headquarters in Americus to voice tributes to a man who sacrificed tirelessly for others, especially families across the nation.

There were smiles, laughs and tears, but unquestionably the most emotional moment was when Fuller Center homeowner Louis Brossett of Shreveport, La., spoke. Louis, a friendly man who always seems to have a smile on his face, fought back tears as he described how Glen and The Fuller Center came to the rescue … helping him obtain a home and helping a community come back to life.

Louis also unexpectedly broke into song at the conclusion of the service at Andersonville National Cemetery, where Glen’s ashes are now interred. Afterward, I chatted with Louis, who described how amid an atmosphere of hopelessness, hope arrived in the form of Millard Fuller and Glen Barton.

“I still remember exactly how he said, ‘Hi, I’m Glen Barton with The Fuller Center for Housing,’ and it was just like the heavens opened up,” Louis said.

Another Shreveport resident, Renee Hooks, spoke of how when should could not attend her daughter’s recital Glen transported her and stopped off at a store to make the night even more special by buying a bouquet of roses.

And those stories just kept coming. The service at Andersonville was more personal with a great speech from Glen’s son, Brian.

We should all leave others with memories of our service, as Glen so evidently did.

By Chris Johnson
Director of Communications
Fuller Center for Housing

Act of donation from Bishop Duca of the Catholic Diocese donating 2 properties in the Cedar Grove area to the Fuller Center for development of new homes.

Mrs. Rochelle said that “I am very happy that the Fuller Center is building me a new house. Without God & the Fuller Center it would not happen. It’s been a five year since we had to vacate our home and start renting, and I didn’t believe that it would ever happen for us to have a new home. I had given up, and my daughter went to bed and prayed one night and the next morning, Mr. Jeter Executive Director of the Fuller Center called. I know that God Answer’s Prayers. I just thank the Fuller Center and First United Methodist Church for sponsoring our Home. I AM SO BLESSED.”

Mr. Rochelle is confined to a wheelchair after suffering several strokes. Four generations will be living in this 4 Bedroom 2 bath home.

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HOUSE SPONSORS:

• First United Methodist Church
• First Baptist Shreveport
• J.P. Morgan Chase Bank
• St Mark’s Cathedral
• Wells Fargo Housing Foundation
• Holy Family Catholic Parish – Barksdale AFB Chapel

Fill out our Registration Form

The Fuller Center has invested nearly $3 million in constructing new homes, in renovating older homes and in building handi­capped-accessible ramps for residents of the Shreveport-Bossier area.

Our primary focus has been the Allendale area, a 97 percent minority tract with an estimated tract median family in­come of $20,366 in 2008.

About the Allendale Neighborhood

The Allendale community was established over 150 years ago as one of Shreveport’s first sub­urbs. The neighborhood thrived up until the 1960s. Older residents describe the community as a place where neighbors knew each other and helped each other out.

Residents frequently gathered at local grocery stores, drug stores and restaurants. Between 1970 and 2000, Allen­dale lost two-thirds of its population. In 2000, 48 percent of the population was below the poverty level, compared to 23 percent for the City of Shreveport.

Fuller Center NWLA currently is focusing its work in the Allendale area of Shreveport. To date, we have built 42 new homes, rehabilitated 43 older homes for elderly or disabled owners and built four handicapped-access ramps in the Allendale area. Within the next five years, we plan to build 18 more houses in the Allendale area, for a total of 60 new houses.

Poverty blights the life chances of far too many children in our state and local area, which is why we are absolutely determined to provide opportunities for individuals living in poverty to own a home.

We have seen that home ownership encourages work among parents, increases social mobility and puts the poorest families on the path to success, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty’s passing from one generation to the next.

Now the Federal Emergency Management Agency has ordered them to either vacate their trailer by April 30, or pay an $800 monthly fine. The Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders team plans to renovate the family’s gutted home by the deadline.

The Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders team also received a grant from the United Way to rebuild four other homes for local families living in temporary housing.

But the funding ends on June 30th, so all construction must be completed by that time. Learn more about what we need to do to help this family.

We need your help! Let these families know they have not been forgotten. Please consider volunteering as an individual or organize a team from your church or other group.

The Millard Fuller Legacy Build named in memory of Millard Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity and The Fuller Center for Housing is an annual, internationally-recognized week of building that brings attention to the need for simple, decent and affordable housing. Fuller Center for Housing covenant partners around the world set a goal to help build or rehabilitate 100 homes during this special week.

During 33 years of building houses Millard Fuller helped over 300,000 families know the joy of having a decent house to call their own. From Webster Fuller Center for Housing, in Minden, Louisiana, our host for this year’s Legacy Build, to cities and villages around the world Fuller Center covenant partners will be working to provide another 100 families with a decent place to live to support Millard’s vision.

Build Information:

The Webster Parish Fuller Center will be host to hundreds of volunteers from all over the United States to work for the week on 8 new homes and 5 rehabilitation projects. The site of the build will take place on 5.6 acres in Minden, LA. The tract of land will become an entirely new subdivision named Legacy Acres, in honor of Millard Fuller. Click here for a map of Minden, LA.

Registration Is Now Open:

Please click here to review fees and to register.

Volunteers and financial support are needed to help make the Millard Fuller Legacy Build 2011 a great success! To support the Legacy Build 2011 checks may be mailed to: The Fuller Center for Housing, P.O. Box 523, Americus, GA 31709 or donations can be made on line-see donate button below.

For any questions concerning the build and volunteer opportunities contact Glen Barton at gbarton@fullercenter.org or call 850-364-8574 or 318-525-7948.

Meanwhile check out the Millard Fuller Legacy Build 2010…

See Pictures of Fuller Center Homes Blanketed By Snow

Northeastern Louisiana may see two to four inches of snow accumulation when a winter storm pushes its way through the area Tuesday night and Wednesday.

The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a winter storm watch from Wednesday morning until Wednesday afternoon for southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana.

Meteorologists have predicted falling temperatures and gusty winds and expect four to six inches of snow across southwest and south central Arkansas during Wednesday through early Wednesday evening. Further south the Interstate 20 corridor in Louisiana is predicted to get two to four inches of the white stuff with minor sleet accumulations also possible.

“It will start with rain on Wednesday and probably transition to snow,” Meteorologist Brandi Richardson said. “After this, things look like they may settle down for a bit.”

Last week, some area schools closed early on Thursday and all schools and universities were closed on Friday in anticipation of an icy wintery mix. Although the area saw some freezing rain and snow and a few icy bridges, there was no snow accumulation. The ice did weigh down tree limbs that fell causing sporadic power outages throughout the region, but no major damage was reported.

Weather service officials said people should take precaution when traveling because the snow may cause snow-packed roads and low visibility.

Tuesday’s high is expected to be 45 degrees, dropping to the low 30s after nightfall.

The weather service has predicted an 80 percent chance of snow and sleet for Wednesday.

Richardson said rain and sleet is expected before noon then snow. The high is expected to reach 36 degrees on Wednesday and dropping to 22 degrees over night. Meteorologists are predicting wind gust as high as 20 miles per hour.

After the storm pushes through, Thursday is expected to be mostly sunny with temperatures reaching the mid 30s. On Saturday and Sunday temperatures are expected to reach the mid to upper 50s with the next chance of rain predicted for Feb. 15.

Source: http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20110208/NEWS01/102080318