Realtors Help New Orleans Family Realize Dream of Homeownership

New Orleans, November 03, 2010

Owning a home is part of the American dream, and that dream came true today for the Hayes family of New Orleans, thanks to the National Association of Realtors® and New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity.

The Hayes’ were presented with the keys to their new home during a dedication ceremony today. New homeowner Shirley Hayes and her two children, daughter Shirley Danielle Cochran, and son, Bill Ray Cochran, Jr., were joined by Realtor® leaders, New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity staff, and hundreds of volunteers at the dedication of the home at 1742 Frenchmen Street.

The dedication precedes the 2010 REALTORS® Conference & Expo here this week. Approximately 20,000 Realtors® and guests are expected to attend.

“Homeownership is an investment in our future – it benefits individuals and families and strengthens our communities,” said NAR President Vicki Cox Golder, owner of Vicki L. Cox & Associates in Tucson, Ariz. “I’m so proud to be able to hand the keys to this new home to the Hayes family today, where they’ll make memories, build their futures, and feel comfortable and secure for many, many years to come.”

This is the 10th year that NAR has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to sponsor a home in the city hosting NAR’s annual conference. Realtors® have also contributed to Habitat for Humanity abroad and in the post-Katrina homebuilding effort, including 54 homes along the Gulf Coast – seven of those homes were in the Musicians’ Village, a community for displaced New Orleans families and musicians.

Shirley is a New Orleans native and graduate of the city’s Dillard University. She served in the U.S. Navy after graduation and received an honorable discharge in 1989. Today she is employed by a local nonprofit and proud to be a first-time homeowner.

“I am the youngest of five siblings, and they all own their own homes. I am blessed, thanks to NAR and New Orleans Habitat, to be able to have my own home now too,” said Shirley.


New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, an independent affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization. NOAHH builds new houses in partnership with sponsors, volunteers, communities, and homeowner families to eliminate poverty housing in the New Orleans area while serving as a catalyst to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. Since its inception in 1983 NOAHH has built over 300 new homes for low-income families in need of adequate shelter. NOAHH plans to continue to build homes in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, St. Charles and Plaquemines Parishes. www.habitat-nola.org.

The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.1 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

For more information, contact:

Sara Wiskerchen 202/383-1013 swiskerchen@realtors.org