For most families, 1,100 square feet might not seem like much. But to those who have very little, it could mean everything. Hurricane Katrina brought chaos and devastation to the Gulf Coast in 2005. Millions of people were impacted directly by the storm. New Orleanians who were forced to evacuate returned to such devastation that there was nothing to do other than start over. But how do you start over when you have nothing to start with?

As the gulf waters receded, a new and welcomed flood of relief efforts began streaming into the area. Individuals, organizations and companies from ...