May 31, 2006 — For James Ross, working at NeighborWorks America is more than a job: it’s a chance to participate in the rebuilding of his beloved hometown, New Orleans.
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“One day you’re here, the next you could be
gone. Fortunately, my family and I were lucky,” said James Ross, a NeighborWorks America management consultant hired to sup-port the Gulf Coast rebuilding effort.
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Recently hired as a management consultant reporting to Southern District Director Don Phoenix, Ross will serve as NeighborWorks America’s “point person in Louisiana.” His duties will include identifying resources and coordinating activities in support of NeighborWorks America’s effort to rebuild communities devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
NeighborWorks, a Congressionally-supported nonprofit organization, recently made a four-year commitment in the Gulf Coast region. The organization will dedicate resources to rebuild existing housing stock; increase the supply of affordable housing and rental units; and work with the community to help strengthen community development infrastructure.
Ross, a former U.S. Marine first lieutenant who served in the first Persian Gulf War, comes to NeighborWorks America with 19 years experience in banking and community development. From 1996-2003, Ross served as director of housing and development for a New Orleans nonprofit, Desire Community Housing Corporation. There, he led the team in the new construction and rehabilitation of 83 single-family homes in a Ninth Ward neighborhood that was later devastated in the hurricane. “I would love to work in that neighborhood again,” he said.
Ross fondly remembers some of the New Orleans residents who moved into the subdivision known as Liberty Terrace, particularly “Miss Evans,” who had lived in public housing for 40 years before becoming a homeowner. As she enjoyed for the first time some of the amenities that come with a home, she would call Ross with questions such as ‘How do I turn on the air conditioner?’ The son of another family in the community who also had never before lived in a single-family home, called Ross around Christmas asking how Santa would be able to get into the house without a chimney. Ross’ staff had a fake fireplace installed to alleviate the boy’s concerns. “It’s the little things that we take for granted that mean the world to others,” said Ross.
While serving as CEO/executive director of the St. Mark’s Community Center in New Orleans from 2004 until the hurricane, Ross made a point of wearing a necktie in front of the at-risk youth who frequented the after-school center. “So many of the boys hadn’t seen many black men in a positive role before. I made a conscious effort to make sure I displayed myself as real person, someone who they could relate to, as opposed to a TV character,” he said.
Ross said he probably would have stayed in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina if it hadn’t been for his son. He and his family had evacuated the city during the last two hurricanes, only to sit stalled in horrendous traffic, where he had plenty of time to swear off future evacuations. Fortunately, he and his wife had another reason to leave New Orleans before Katrina: driving his son to start his freshman year at Hampton University in Virginia.
The roof of his family’s home was destroyed during the hurricane, causing damage to the interior of his home. “If all goes well, he said, “we should be able to move back into our home by mid-summer.”
Sadly, the hurricane claimed the lives of two of his staff members at St. Mark’s Community Center. The other staff members and the young people attending the center were scattered across the country. On the bright side, many of his staff members are thriving in their new hometowns, enjoying a better standard of living and more opportunities than they had in the Crescent City.
Ross and his wife moved to Northern Virginia, where his wife’s sister and husband live. Though he appreciates many of the advantages of living in the Washington area, including a better high school for his daughter, he misses some of New Orleans’ unique charms. “There’s a certain charisma and style of the New Orleans character,” he said with a smile, launching into an imitation of New Orleans slang and small talk. People in New Orleans are more “touchy-feely” and friendly, he said. There, you greet everyone on the street. When you greet elders, you speak first and then give them a hug and a kiss on the cheek—even in some business situations.
The hurricane left him with a heightened appreciation of the importance of family.
“One day you’re here, the next you could be gone,” he said. “Fortunately, my family and I were lucky. Some things we can replace and others we can’t, however the fact that blood is still running warm in our veins is most important.”
Ross first heard of NeighborWorks America several years ago during his tenure at Desire Community Housing Corporation. He and several staff members attended a NeighborWorks Training Institute in Los Angeles. While his staff members opted to attend homeownership counseling training and other courses, Ross used the opportunity to network with other community development practitioners. “I like to meet people,” he said.
Indeed, Ross will be meeting plenty of people in the coming months as he begins working to connect NeighborWorks America with potential partners in the rebuilding effort. He will work out of a Southern District satellite office in New Orleans, which will open in the upcoming months. Ross will divide his time between New Orleans and Alexandria, Va., where his wife and daughter will reside.
Ross’s initial focus will be relationship building with individuals, private sector companies, and other nonprofits. “There’s so much to do,” he said. NeighborWorks’ long-term goal in the Gulf Coast region is to keep people in their homes and to create a meaningful and sustained role for resident participation in investment decisions.
At the time of the interview, Ross was getting ready to travel to New Orleans for the ICMA Restoration 2006 Conference. “It’s an opportunity to form new partnerships and become re-acclimated to the community,” he said. With his tie in place and sleeves rolled up, Ross is ready to begin the journey.
Related Links
>>NeighborWorks Response to Hurricane Katrina
>>Hurricane Katrina Resources
