Mr. James and his wife purchased their home in 1991. Mr. James’ wife passed away in April of 2010, and Mr. James has been living by himself since then, but continues to be an active community member in the neighborhood as well as the 1st Street United Methodist Church.
The historic house had minimal flooding after Hurricane Katrina, but sustained storm damage and had to have the roof and sewage lines repaired before moving back in. Mr. James and his wife were evacuated to Texas in 2005 and Mr. Jame’s wife returned to New Orleans in the first year to start fixing the house while Mr. James remained in Texas while he recovered from a valve replacement.
United Saints volunteers has assisted with re-painting the exterior of the house as well as repairing damaged siding. This will be the fifth home on the block that United Saints has worked on and with every home that is assisted, the block reflects the pride and strong community that the residents have on Baronne St. Plans to re-paint the house had been started a while ago, but were put on hold when Mr. James’s wife passed away. Mr. James will be undergoing surgeries and medical procedures in the next year and is very appreciative of the support and efforts of the United Saints volunteers.
Completed February 2011