Shelters that rebuild lives

Lindsay Sandham

It all started as the dream of five caring and motivated people

within Orange County’s Building Industry Assn., who wanted to harness

their various skills and somehow give back to the community.

In 1989, Julie Brinkerhoff- Jacobs, of Newport Beach, along with

four other builders, came up with the idea of designing, building,

furnishing and landscaping shelters for the transitionally homeless.

Brinkerhoff-Jacobs joined forces with Mike Lennon, Bob Albertson,

Bart Hansen and Tim Galvin and started HomeAid Orange County.

In 1995, HomeAid branched out from its Orange County roots and

began establishing chapters across the country.

“We have 22 chapters coast to coast,” said Brinkerhoff-Jacobs, now

the president and chief financial officer of Lifescapes

International, a landscape design firm. “Now we have 101 shelters

finished, all over the country. We went from being a local HomeAid

Orange County chapter to now being available to establish chapters

throughout the United States.”

HomeAid recently teamed up with “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,”

a reality TV series that builds homes for people in need. The show,

which aired Feb. 13, took place in Denver. It was the first episode

of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to feature two families at once,

building transitional shelters for each family. .

“We’re hoping to continue that relationship, it’s been pretty

exciting,” Brinkerhoff-Jacobs said.

HomeAid America and its 22 chapters have 38 more shelter projects

in the works.

HomeAid Orange County, the founding chapter, has completed 35

shelters and now has five projects in progress, said Delene Garbo, a

spokesperson for HomeAid Orange County.

According to HomeAid America Communications Director Mary Lou

Tull, around 55,000 people have benefited from the shelters provided

by HomeAid.

Once a shelter is completed, it is turned over to a care provider,

which then finds people in need of temp- orary housing. The houses

are furnished and landscaped by HomeAid as well.

Elsa Landeros, 27, was homeless when she got connected with the

Precious Life Shelter in Los Alamitos just over a year ago. Precious

Life placed her in a HomeAid-built house.

“It’s given me a place to live. It’s given me a second chance in

life and an opportunity to get reunited with my daughter,” said

Landeros, who has a 7-year-old daughter.

She also recently completed coursework to become a medical

assistant and found a job working for a plastic surgeon.

“It’s great that they [HomeAid] are doing this,” she said. “I’m

grateful.”