Our History

In the months following Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, motivated by the desire to become involved in the rebuilding efforts in the areas devastated by the hurricane, two members of the Healthy Building Network’s (HBN) developed the concept of the GreenRelief Project. The goal of the GreenRelief Project was to participate in the massive post-Katrina rebuilding process in a way that would facilitate the construction of greener and healthier homes for occupants and to accelerate the transition towards sustainability in the residential housing sector.

Paul Bogart (l) and Jim Vallette: HBN staff and founders of the Unity Homes concept

Watch Jim Vallette's speech at October 30, 2007 ground breaking

Providing such healthy homes to the Katrina victims became more essential when news of illnesses caused by materials used in FEMA trailers was made public.

The two HBN members saw the problems with the FEMA trailers as an opportunity to put the GreenRelief Project in action. HBN, therefore, began developing a model for manufacturing green and healthy modular homes to meet the region's housing needs. The first prototype home – the Unity Home – was installed in North Gulfport, MS in January 2007. Upon installation of the prototype, the house was donated to the North Gulfport Community Land Trust on January 27, 2007, at a ribbon cutting and open house ceremony held on the grounds of the prototype house.

With the ground breaking ceremony on October 30, 2007 for its new facility, Unity Homes, Inc. a non-profit corporation, becomes the first company to implement the HBN model in producing healthy, green modular "Unity Homes" for the Gulf coast housing market.