Some South Side Meridian residents may have felt they were in the wrong neighborhood when they returned home Tuesday.

Sitting on a lot that has been vacant for several years is now a brand new house.

"We don't have a family chosen for it; there are two applicants," said Fonda Rush, executive director of the Lauderdale County Habitat for Humanity (LCHH). "But at least we have a home already on the foundation, with most of the groundwork done."

The new addition is modular-built. According to Rush, many Habitat affiliates are using modular construction in a fast-track move to provide permanent homes in partnership with families affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Last August, LCHH received a grant from People of Qatar to build two more houses for Katrina families.

"Although it's been nearly five years since Hurricane Katrina, there are still homes here in Lauderdale County and Meridian who were affected by it," Rush said.

The affiliate was given until the end of December to have the houses substantially completed. While construction had begun on one located on Old Wire Road, nothing had been set in motion for the second one.

"We had the one house going, we were renovating another house and had another one planned ... But we hadn't started on the second house under the Qatar Grant," Rush said.

Aware that Habitat affiliates on the Gulf Coast, as well as in Louisiana and Mobile, Ala. had used modular construction for houses, LCHH board members began considering the method. The manufacturer Modular One was chosen.

"We work with a lot of non-profits throughout the Southeast," said James McGee, a representative of the company based out of Pulaski, Tenn.

"We're currently working with the Habitat (affiliate) in Bay St. Louis, Lake Charles and Baton Rouge and on projects with Brad Pitt in New Orleans."

Modular One specializes in single-family, as well as townhouses, apartments, condominiums and motels.

"Anything that can be stick-built, we build. But what we do is build it in a controlled environment," he said. "All of our buildings are engineered, unlike a lot of site-built ... They are built out of sheet rock and lumber, just like other homes."

Modular homes are not trailers, but two units.

"They are very substantially built and meet all the building codes," Rush said. "They can withstand hurricane winds ... The housing has to be approved by the state fire marshal and must go through guidelines and codes that a normal house doesn't go through."

The modular house is not a less expensive way to build homes for Habitat, but a time-saver.

"What we were looking at was time versus the number of volunteers," Rush said. "Especially with a deadline at the end of the year, which is a time when it is very hard to get volunteers due to the holiday season. It's a way to continue our capacity to build."

On Monday, a six-man crew from the manufacturer arrived in Meridian with two units on flatbed trucks. One unit included a kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms; a living room, a bathroom and master bedroom was included in the other unit.

On Tuesday, the units were lifted by a crane and placed on the lot, which is located at 810 Church Ave. Afterwards, volunteers began doing shingling on the roof.

"Because it is a Habitat home, we have them (manufacturer) to leave some off that they would normally do so that our volunteers and partner families can do interior and exterior finish work," Rush said. "We will be putting the porches on, doing siding, painting, flooring and other tasks. We wanted to leave some things that the volunteers still could do."

In addition to local volunteers, students from State University of New York (SUNY) out of Oswego and members of the Goshen Mennonite Church in Indiana will help with the project.

The lot for the home was donated to Lauderdale County Habitat for Humanity by Citizens National Bank.





People of Qatar



In 2009, Habitat for Humanity received a $3.2 million donation from the People of Qatar to help build houses in partnership with families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

A total of 44 homes will be built by 14 Habitat affiliates located along the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama.

In 2006, Habitat for Humanity International received a $22 million grant from the People of Qatar to help in the long-term recovery of the Gulf Coast region. The grant was used to help build nearly 300 houses, including154 homes in Louisiana, 107 homes in Mississippi and 33 in Alabama.