Salem News
By Cate Lecuyer
10/15/2007

BEVERLY - Yielding hammers, executives, directors and members of all six YMCAs on the North Shore will pound the message of more affordable housing into the heads of locals and into the ground of New Orleans.

Through Habitat for Humanity, a group of 25 will head to the city on Wednesday and build a house in the Musicians' Village, one of the sections that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The trip ties into the YMCA annual fundraising gala in November and aims to raise more money to provide YMCA services to those who can't afford them - especially children.

The dinner gala, on Nov. 17 at the Sheraton Ferncroft Resort in Danvers, will feature a slide show of the New Orleans trip, as well as the traditional New Orleans band Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience, which has played for presidents, celebrities and CEOs around the world.

The event usually raises close to $185,000 for financial assistance programs, and affordable housing is a large part of that focus.

"We hope the trip and the gala will inspire growing awareness that building affordable homes builds communities, whether in New Orleans or on the North Shore," Executive Director Jack Meany said.

The nonprofit manages 144 affordable units in Beverly, Gloucester and Haverhill. Over the summer, it partnered with the Beverly Affordable Housing Coalition with a plan to build 65 affordable housing units in Beverly's Gloucester Crossing neighborhood.

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