Deborah Gilbert hasn’t had a place to call home for a long time.
That will all change today when Habitat for Humanity’s Frederick County chapter gives her the keys to her new Madison Street house.
“Words just cannot describe how wonderful it feels to get her into a home,” said Ron Cramer, Habitat for Humanity’s executive director. “Basically, everything she had was gone.”
When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, Gilbert had to flee her New Orleans home with nothing more than the clothes on her back and whatever she could fit into a backpack, Cramer said.
She was one of the lucky ones. After being flown out, she spent a night at a hotel and then got a plane ticket from friends to Baltimore Washington International Airport.
Frederick was where she settled down, but it would be a few years before she could get a permanent house.
Through Habitat for Humanity, Gilbert was chosen to receive a home. It took three years to complete, 300 hours of sweat equity from Gilbert, and the help of countless volunteers.
She will move into the three-bedroom duplex today, and will have a fellow Habitat for Humanity recipient as her neighbor.
“For most of the Katrina victims, the storm was a terrible disaster,” Gilbert said in 2007. “For me, it has turned out to be a series of blessings. I am so grateful to all who have helped.”
Established in 1993, the Frederick chapter of Habitat builds about two houses a year. Some of these are renovations instead of new construction, but the one for Gilbert is a new build.
New furnishings were donated by Ethan Allen Interiors and Gilbert will be able to purchase the home with a no-interest mortgage. Cramer said her monthly payments will be between $600 and $700.
“She has all the family she needs right here in Frederick,” Cramer said. “We’re a part of that support mechanism. We’re there to help her through it.”
