News reports said that a big storm was coming and that everyone had to leave New Orleans. Charmaine Nelson and her daughter grabbed a few things, got in to the car with family and drove towards Chattanooga. They thought they would be going home in a few days. Hurricane Katrina changed that.

Now more than two years later, they are finally coming home, to a home of their own, thanks to the NCAA, America’s Home Place, community volunteers and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga.

“We are thrilled to have been able to help the Nelson family have a fresh start after their community was devastated by Hurricane Katrina,” said John Atherton, Habitat’s executive director. “They have had a long journey over the last two years – we hope that their new home will be a safe harbor for them in the years ahead!"

Making it safely to Chattanooga before the hurricane hit, the family could only watch the news, worry about friends, and their home. “We felt blessed to not be in the middle of it all, but thought that we would be going back soon,” Ms. Nelson said.

When they were finally able to return long after the storm, they found most of their belongings damaged or destroyed by water. They salvaged what they could and returned to Chattanooga, and set about creating a new life.

She found employment with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Tennessee, and applied for homeownership through Habitat for Humanity’s program, where she attended a series of classes to help her prepare for homeownership, and put in time working on her home and those of other Habitat homebuyers.

Though it has been a long couple of years, the move to Chattanooga has been a good one. “It has been such a blessing. Tylar has made many new friends, and is in a great school. Everyone has just been wonderful,” Ms. Nelson said.

While the move to Chattanooga was made to escape a hurricane, it brought a new opportunity.

“One of my dreams has been to own my own home, but this was not going to happen because of the pay rates in New Orleans,” she said. “When I told my daughter that we had qualified for a Habitat home she screamed and cried. She was just overjoyed. The first thing she asked me was ‘can I paint my room the color I want?’ – you just can’t do that in a rental. Getting in the house will be such a blessing – its an opportunity for me to have a place to call my own.”

Construction of the Nelson's home was made possible by the generous support of the NCAA’s Home Team partnership with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for those impacted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. The walls for the Nelson home were built by local volunteers with the assistance of the teams at last year’s NCAA Division I Football Championship held in Chattanooga.

America’s Home Place, one of the nation’s largest “on your lot” home builders, generously provided materials towards the construction of the Nelson’s home, as well as the home built during last year’ Riverbend Festival.

“We are grateful to the NCAA and America’s Home Place for their support of the Nelson Family’s Home,” said Mr. Atherton. “Their partnership has helped transform the life of the Nelson family.

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga is a faith-based non-profit organization dedicated to community transformation through the creation of homeownership opportunity for low -income families. Since 1986, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Chattanooga has built 203 homes in Chattanooga, and 106 more overseas. More information is available at www.habichatt.org.