Happy to be home

On a late winter morning when a steamy sun seemed like an unwelcomed intruder emotions gripped Willis Hawkins as he stood outside of his refurbished Hammond home.

An 18-month nightmare, one that seemed much longer at times, was over. No longer would he be confined to living in only the den and kitchen of his home that was ravaged by Hurricane Ida.

After two months of living in front of his house in a customized POD with a temporary wall, window and air conditioner, Hawkins was finally able to stretch out in his den and wake up in his own bed.

Hawkins was back home, courtesy of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Baton Rouge and other area charities, including Center of Hope, a non-profit agency in Tangipahoa Civil Parish that helps residents with disaster recovery.

Tears flushed his eyes as Hawkins surveyed his new kitchen that would test his skills as a chef, a bathroom that sparkled, and a den with hardwood floors.

Gone were the mold and the blue tarp covering his severely damaged roof and the horrors associated with demanding months.

“I can’t find any words to describe how grateful I am,” Hawkins said, a smile never leaving his 64-year-old face. “It’s overwhelming.”

Lisa Lee, director of Refugee and Immigration Services for CCDBR, said the agency was involved first as a funder, using grants and donations awarded to Catholic Charities to work in partnerships with other agencies, such as the Salvation Army, United Way, Center of Hope and Apostolic Christian Harvest Call.

Additionally, CCDBR directs funding to individuals in the form of purchasing furniture, buying materials needed to purchase building supplies or even rental assistance.

“But mostly home repairs,” Lee said.

CCDBR bought the materials Harvest Call volunteers needed to rebuild Hawkins’ home.

Harvest Call is a faith-based organization based in  West Lafayette, Indiana formed by the merger of Apolostic Christian World Relief and the Apostolic Christians Mission committee.

Its stated mission is to equip and mobilize brethren to proclaim the Gospel, disciple and nurture believers and demonstrate the love of Christ with deeds of compassion.

Each winter, Harvest Call coordinates at least one large work project, mobilizing some 500 volunteers from across the country to build new homes or repair existing ones for the needy whose homes were damaged, typically through a natural disaster.

The projects are always in the South. In 2002 volunteers spent three months in the Lafayette area.

Volunteers, who arrive in shifts, will be in the Hammond area through the end of March.

“I sit back and I give all thanks to God,” Hawkins said. “Meeting the group of wonderful people that I think we need a lot more of. People just like them.”

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Hawkins had repeatedly contacted FEMA about securing a trailer. But the trailer never arrived and he was eventually informed by the agency they were no longer available.

So Hawkins reached out to charitable organizations and found a friendly ear in Catholic Charities.

“They filed some appeals on my behalf and searched around for other organizations besides FEMA,” he said.

“That is part of our disaster recovery services for Ida,” Lee said. “We do have case managers that work with folks in these situations. The case manager’s job is to collect all of their information about what their needs are and develop a recovery plan with them.

“The case manager brings the case to funders and volunteers, advocating for that particular family to get the resources they need to build their homes.”

Through a network of agencies, Harvest Call expressed interest and sent a representative to meet with Hawkins early this past fall.

“That is when I realized I was going to need some help,” he said.

In early January workers were on site and two months later, Hawkins was sleeping in his own bedroom, on his own mattress for the first time since August 2021.

“I looked at other people and looked at my situation and I counted it all as joy,” he said. “God was still good. At least I had a place to stay and a roof over my head.”

Even with Hawkins finding a peace in his remodeled home, CCDBR continues to reach out to others still in recovery from Ida. Lee said the agency is providing case management to more than  900 Tangipahoa families, with case managers working with families assessing their needs.

She said case managers advocate with FEMA and Restore Louisiana to help maximize benefits to each family.

For now, Hawkins, who is semi-retired,  is taking it all in and enjoying every moment in his new home.

“I sit back and I give all thanks to God,” said the Hammond native who grew up not far from his current home. “God had a plan and this was it. I would not have met those wonderful people, the young people who have dedicated with their faith doing things that churches should have been doing all of the time, kind of what we should be doing instead of killing each other and robbing.”

“What happened to us to let it get this far?” he mused. “We start with the man in the mirror, searching heart and mind.

“So I’m in a better place, those people brought faith back to me.”