Published: July 23, 2025
This spring, Jericho Road joined with the Jefferson Parish Office of Community Development to celebrate a new beginning for Ms. Houston, a longtime Jefferson Parish resident and low-income senior. The ribbon cutting, held at her newly constructed home in Harvey, Louisiana, marked more than the completion of a project, it marked a fresh start for a family determined to stay rooted in the community they love.
For years, Ms. Houston rented the property where she raised her children. When her landlord chose to sell, she purchased the deteriorating house simply to remain in her neighborhood. Without the resources to make the repairs her home needed; the structure continued to decline.
Through the Jefferson Parish Replacement Homes Initiative, with Jericho Road serving as development partner, Ms. Houston’s unsafe house was replaced with a modern, elevated, energy-efficient home built to EnergyStar and FORTIFIED building standards. Her new home provides safety, stability, and the opportunity to build generational wealth, ensuring that her family can maintain a lasting connection to their neighborhood and benefit from the long-term security of homeownership. The home also helps lower insurance costs and protect her family from future storms.
“This home gives me and my family a new start, a chance to rebuild our lives in the very place where I raised my children,” Ms. Houston shared. “Now I get to watch my grandson grow up here too.”
This project reflects the goal of the Replacement Homes Initiative, helping low-income seniors and longtime homeowners remain in their communities by removing deteriorated structures and replacing them with resilient, modern homes.
Funding from the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, administered by HUD, helped make this project possible. This collaboration not only supported Ms. Houston’s new home, it strengthens Jericho Road’s broader mission to expand access to safe, affordable housing throughout Southeast Louisiana, ensuring more families can build stability and wealth that lasts across generations.
“This ribbon cutting is more than a celebration of bricks and mortar, it represents our commitment to helping families stay rooted, build generational wealth, and live safely in the communities they love,” said Nicole Barnes, Jericho Road’s Executive Director.
As Southeast Louisiana marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, stories like Ms. Houston’s remind us how far the region has come, and how important it is to continue investing in affordable, resilient housing that helps families build wealth, stability, and community for generations to come.
At Jericho Road, we are proud to help neighbors like Ms. Houston not only find their way home but stay there.