Brad Pitt Unveils Final Housing Plan For New Orleans

By Chris Georg
22:44, December 3rd 2007
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Brad Pitt Unveils Final Housing Plan For New Orleans

Hollywood actor and activist Brad Pitt, who was in New Orleans over the weekend, appeared on the Today show Monday morning to speak about the last stage of his eco-friendly architectural housing program aimed at returning residents to Hurricane Katrina-wrecked Lower Ninth Ward.

It’s been two years since Katrina devastated the gulf coast, but a lot is yet to be done, and Pitt, who donated $5 million of his own money to help rebuild residential houses for those who lost their homes in the hurricane, is making sure nothing is standing in the way. The project, called Make It Right, calls for building 150 affordable, environmentally sound houses over the next two years.

"This area where we're standing right now, they lost over 5,000 [homes]," the 43-year-old actor told Ann Curry as the two walked among pink tents.

"I'm hoping we can expand over to the rest of New Orleans. There's no reason why we need to stop here. It's just going to be if we can get the financial support to make up the difference people need to return to their homes."

Pitt, who also worked with the environmental organization Global Green USA to build five single-family homes and an 18-unit apartment complex and community center, said that the Make It Right initiative is actually an adopt-a-house campaign.  

"You can adopt a tankless water heater or a solar panel or a tree or a low-flush toilet," Pitt said. "You can give it to someone for Christmas," he added, instead of another sweater.

"I'm asking for foundations, for high-network individuals, for church groups, for corporations to come in and adopt a house. Basically $150,000 will get a family back into their home," Pitt said explaining that 13 architects have helped in the project and that each home will be built on stilts as a precaution against future floods.

"The families of New Orleans need the help of families across America this holiday season," Pitt pleaded. "We are asking Americans this holiday season to go to our website http://www.makeitrightnola.org and send a contribution that will help us rebuild homes for these families and rebuild their lives."

"To build those 150 homes, we need the help of the American people," he said in a news conference Monday. "We need to all join together to do this. There is no reason why we can't do a thousand homes."

The actor and his partner, actress Angelina Jolie, who have four kids together, purchased a French Quarter mansion in New Orleans earlier this year.

"[New Orleans] has an energy like no other place," he told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in May. "I've got to get me some of it. I absolutely love it there."



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