It’s easy to put a tragedy like Hurricane Katrina in the back of your mind after the news coverage stops and the telethons end. But to the people who call New Orleans home, that tragedy is alive and well. I learned that lesson in March 2007, when I traveled to the Crescent City for AAHSA’s FutureAge magazine. That’s also the first time I heard about Annunciation Inn, an affordable housing community that’s part of the Christopher Homes organization. Katrina completely destroyed Annunciation’s structure, but it sure didn’t do the same to their spirit. Despite funding challenges and bueraucratic hiccups, a new Annunciation Inn opened its doors after a 39-month wait.

Dennis Adams, Christopher Homes’ executive director, sent us this message yesterday about the opening. It’s sure to allieviate any case of “tragedy fatigue” you’ve been experiencing. I know it did for me. Enjoy!

“ Today, after 39 months of prayer, working, and waiting following Katrina, we are moving residents into Annunciation Inn, the first “Christopher Homes” property to open since December 2005. 

 Our first resident to arrive this morning is Ms. Emma Jackson.  She, like many other CHI residents, has been in exile since Katrina, first to Texas and then Baton Rouge and most recently in our fine city, awaiting her opportunity to return home.  Ms. Jackson is returning to her apartment on the 5th floor and we were honored to visit her apartment with her.  She has a wonderful view out of her bedroom window from her St. Roch neighborhood apartment across Faubourg Marigny and the French quarter to the Crescent City Connection and relates how she often sat at that window at night viewing firework displays over the city during the six years she has lived with us before Katrina.

 Ms. Jackson and several other residents are blessed to be receiving largesse in the form of furniture to replace what they lost from the storm.  This charitable benefit comes from the Salvation Army through our development partner, Providence Community Housing.  Over half of our residents are receiving new furniture for their bedroom, dining room, and/or their living room.  When we drove up to the Inn this morning a large 18-wheeler trailer from “Rooms to Go” was parked on Spain Street and a crew was unloading, uncrating, and moving in beautiful pieces to specific apartments, all under the watchful eye of Providence staff.

 There is a beehive of activity around Annunciation today with the contractor’s crews and an almost equal number of Christopher Homes’ employees completing last minute work to have all apartments ready for the residents.  Our schedule has three or four residents per day moving in for the next few weeks.  All of the 106 apartments are rented.

 We are most thankful to those that have made this day possible, including, The Archdiocese of New Orleans, Providence Community Housing, Enterprise Community Partners, Sims Mortgage Funding, Chase Bank, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, the City of New Orleans, Milton J. Womack Contractors and their subcontractors, Blitch Knevel Architects, The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, USA, American Association of Housing and Services for the Aging and its Gulf States affiliate,  and the staff of Christopher Homes.  We look forward to this large partnership continuing its work to open other properties including, Nazareth Inn II in December, Nazareth Inn in January 2009, and with help from the Sisters of the Holy Family, Delille Inn and St. John Berchmans Manor next spring.  Along with our thanks, our prayers are with you all. “