Common Ground Relief Project Areas
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Common Ground Relief has supported residents of the region by providing immediate relief and advocacy. Since that time, our many volunteer-run projects have served thousands of people, constantly evolving to meet the needs of the community. Now, nearly three years after the storms, Common Ground Relief's current projects continue to provide essential opportunities for returning residents to rebuild their homes and lives with dignity.
Read below to learn about specific volunteer opportunities, our current projects, and how to donate to our programs.
The Anita Roddick Advocacy Center (ARAC) in the Lower Ninth Ward is a community resource center which works to directly address issues of racial inequality and social justice in Greater New Orleans. As residents who were displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita return to the City and rebuild their homes and communities, Common Ground Relief works to provide information for, and assistance in the rebuilding process. The ARAC is a centralized location for information and outreach to the community designed to petition members of city and state legislature for positive change on behalf of residents.
At the Anita Roddick Advocacy Center we provide free legal assistance, as well as free fax, phone, copying and internet service. Volunteers are on hand six days a week to connect residents with the services and organizations to help bring them home, as well as to listen to concerns and help Common Ground Relief evolve with the needs of the community.
The Anita Roddick Advocacy Center is open 12pm-7pm, Thursday-Tuesday. Stop by for a chat, or call 504.304.9097.
Common Ground Relief's free legal support clinic is dedicated to providing universal access to legal justice. The volunteer run clinic performs ongoing research into the legal issues faced by returning and current residents.
Available services include case assessment, free notary service, a pro se/"know your rights" brochure library, as well as advocacy work on behalf of residents. The Legal Clinic also connects current and returning residents with pro-bono legal assistance.
Walk in hours are Saturday 12-3 p.m. and by appointment Monday through Friday by calling 504-717-7324.
In response to the slow release of insurance proceeds and "Road Home" funds which has caused a rampant spread of contractor fraud, Common Ground Relief has partnered with a Louisiana licensed, bonded and insured general contractor.
Our first concern is to make sure that houses are assessed to ensure they can even be rebuilt and that they sit properly on their foundations. Too many homeowners have started work only to have the City of New Orleans issue a demolition order because the house's foundation is damaged and the structure is found to be unsafe.
Once closed wall inspections have occurred, waves of volunteers can come in and complete the interior of a house.
Common Ground Relief has reached out to colleges with engineering, architectural and construction management programs to ask that skilled volunteers come to New Orleans to help with the rebuilding effort. For example we have partnered with Marquette University who, since October 2007, has sent teams of volunteers to hang drywall. Skilled volunteers are sanding walls, installing millwork and painting interior and exterior walls.
Common Ground Relief's Bioremediation/Community Gardens project is an ongoing community outreach program which focuses on food security with residents. To this end, CGR performs soil testing and assists residents in the construction and maintenance of Community Garden spaces in the New Orleans area.
Common Ground's Bioremediation volunteers have helped to remediate soil using natural methods, such as removing lead from the soil through the planting of ferns. The Bioremediation team are also growing mushrooms, which will be used to remove petrochemicals from the soil, and will also be used in compost. This compost will bind metals into the soil and improve its quality and productivity.
In addition to this, volunteers are collecting soil samples, which are tested by the LSU Ag Center, so as to determine if the soil contains toxins, and if clean, what plants and produce can be effectively grown.
Coastal Louisiana has the largest amount of Wetlands of anywhere in the United States. The Wetlands, which have grown over thousands of years to form an invaluable natural flood defense, have been degraded continuously over the last 100 years.
Common Ground Relief is working to rebuild and renew the Wetlands by growing grasses as well as cedar and cypress trees in our nursery. CGR volunteers then plant these grasses and trees into the bayou in the Lower Ninth Ward. CGR volunteers are able to see first hand the effects of coastal degradation and perform work to help revitalize the area.
In addition to this, CGR's Wetlands volunteers also work on removing invasive species and other projects in partnership with the Audobon Nature Center as well as other groups in the Greater New Orleans Area.
The Media Collective at Common Ground Relief works to both cover the ongoing projects performed by CGR as well as be a reliable source of news and information about the Lower 9th Ward and the Greater New Orleans Area.
The CGR Tech Collective ensures that the public internet/fax/phone lines are continuously operational as well as repairs computers which are donated for residents of the Lower 9th Ward and surrounding areas.
Common Ground Relief works with a number of organizations in the New Orleans area as part of our commitment to utilizing alternative energy sources in our own projects, and to promote and assist in the use of affordable, alternative energy sources for interested residents.
In partnership with the Alliance for Affordable Energy, Common Ground Relief is working to promote sustainable, green building practices where possible in the rebuild of New Orleans. Long-term volunteers have opportunities to work with installing and maintaining Radiant Barriers, which uses synthetic plastics to dramatically increase energy efficiency in homes. We also work with Bio Liberty, LLC, so as our vehicles and mowers can run on biodiesel.