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State of the Coast 2007

This past week we sat down for the last of our meetings about the housing that we have done before and had a large talk about the future of what we are doing down here on the Coast. As it was originally intended, David Perkes, our director named us the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio so that we would not be holed into one county or area but instead be able to eventually spread along the entire coast of Mississippi and aid the redevelopment as our numbers and funding grew. With the coming year we are about to embark on making this vision a reality. Our former fund raiser here at the EBCRRA was recently named the new Hancock County Long Term Recovery and Redevelopment Agency's director which is going to directly facilitate the creation of a similar entity to our Coordination Center in our neighbor county to the west. For us, this is the perfect time to expand the studio in order to help maintain the quality of design and building efforts that are happening here in Biloxi into some of the areas hardest hit by Katrina.

We currently have 34 new construction projects on our board with 23 under construction and the rest in planning or permitting stages in addition to a number of other exciting projects such as the aforementioned (in a previous post) project on Reynoir Street as well as aiding both Pearl River and various groups in Harrison County's with their construction documents including one fascinating project in Gulfport for a gentleman who suffers the effects of claustrophobia.

As you may know the GCCDS (especially Christine and David) is constantly applying for grants and fellowships in order to help continue our work on the coast and I wanted to share the most recent and comprehensive version with you all as part of this entry...

History & Mission.
Affiliated with the Mississippi State University College of Architecture, Art + Design, the Gulf Coast Community Design Studio (GCCDS) is a nonprofit organization providing community planning and architectural design services to traditionally underserved populations, specifically relating to the rebuilding and revitalization of the Mississippi Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. GCCDS is committed to citizen participation, rebuilding diverse and complete cities, and preserving and restoring the unique natural and cultural resources along the coast. In the aftermath of Katrina, GCCDS worked with members of the Biloxi community on the ground, providing early damage assessment maps, then planning assistance, and eventually design services. New building elevation requirements, small lot sizes, and the need for accessibility all present complex challenges that call for the aid of architects in the design of these homes. Embedded in the community, GCCDS shares a building and closely partners with the East Biloxi Coordination, Relief, & Redevelopment Agency. Close to all of GCCDS’s projects are eventually realized because our efforts are directly tied into the network of services provided by our partners – case management, financing, and construction. GCCDS’s work is grounded in the belief that the intricate web of partnerships that has emerged here exponentially increases the capacity of East Biloxi to recover.

Programs & Accomplishments.
Since Katrina struck in 2005, designs for over 80 homes in East Biloxi alone (both rehabilitations and new construction) have been completed. Over 30 are constructed, and of the rest, more than half are already underway; all have been built with volunteer labor. The projects are designed through close relationships with the residents, and the work is very much about preserving the dignity of individuals faced with unimaginable hardships.
Gulf Coast Community Design Studio November 2007 GCCDS strives to improve its model whenever possible. Working closely with construction managers to develop an expedited construction process, we developed a “Blitz Build,” which yielded a completed house in only 10 construction days. GCCDS continues to develop details that are both easily built by volunteers and resistant to hurricanes. In 2007, GCCDS received a design award from the American Institute of Architects. Our designs rely on green materials, such as cement-board sheathing, and passive strategies, such as high ceilings and operable clerestory windows to minimize the need for heating and cooling. Buildings are sited to minimize energy use, respect existing trees, and avoid wetlands. One house is being designed to meet LEED standards, and this process has provided a deeper understanding of affordable improvements to typical construction practices, materials, and systems, which we will incorporate into future work, as funding and labor allow.

Partnerships.
GCCDS also provides community planning and mapping services to our partner organizations and the people of East Biloxi. In 2007, GCCDS completed its third comprehensive building assessment, documenting the condition of every property East of I-110. This information not only provides an accurate, detailed assessment of the conditions on the ground, but helps build the capacity of our partners to define and gain support for their own efforts to rebuild. GCCDS is working with the Gulf Coast Housing Resources Network to develop an inclusive community development plan for East Biloxi, with significant resident input. In addition to the EBCRRA, and the organizations in the Housing Resources Network, GCCDS works in close partnership with the many volunteer construction groups on the coast, as well as groups such as the National Association of Vietnamese-American Service Agencies, Mississippi Center for Justice, the North Gulfport Community Land Trust.

Population Reached.
GCCDS has focused on East Biloxi, though we have projects throughout Harrison County. In 2008, we will begin working in Hancock & Jackson Counties. To date, our clients represent a typical cross-section of East Biloxi residents. Almost all of the households served are low or moderate income, with 40% on fixed incomes. There is a great diversity among our clients in terms of age, race, and household type. 58% of our clients are African-American, 5% are Asian, and 21% are Caucasian. Just under one third are households of married couples with or without children; 24% are single parents (twice as many headed by females as males) with children or
grandchildren; 22% are individuals living with adult children or other relatives, often ones caring for the primary resident; and another 22% are individuals living alone. One factor that plays a large role in the design of the houses is the high rate of disability in the community; a full 36% of our clients are disabled or suffer from debilitating illnesses.

To be continued...