Red doors? Purple walls? Why it matters

From red doors to purple walls, from a galley kitchen to a more open design, disaster survivors have had an increasingly important influence on options for MDS-built homes.

When MDS project directors sit down to talk with a disaster survivor about building a new home, it’s an important—and intimate—touchpoint of disaster recovery. As they discuss everything from paint colors to countertops, a current of hope begins coursing through everyone at the table.

“Usually, people come in pretty nervous. The whole idea of accepting something from strangers is a little bit of a stumbling block—they feel like they’re getting so much,” said MDS Office Manager Laura Dube. “They are still working through the loss. But if you have these discussions in a compassionate way, they trust you.”

“That meeting is almost holy ground,” said MDS Project Director Carl Dube. “It is where they realize that something is going to change—and the hope that they’ve had ever since their house was destroyed—that hope is becoming real.”

Glowing moments

As part of an MDS response, project directors meet with homeowners to talk through plans for a new, volunteer-built home. Over the years, options for homes have changed and expanded—and one of the most visible is paint color.

While 20 years ago, most MDS-built homes were neutral colors—both inside and out—now most homeowners are able to choose brighter hues.

Part of the change is due to materials—the vinyl siding MDS previously used came in limited hues, for example—and part is due to creative thinking from MDS project directors who are able to let homeowners choose colors without wasting paint.

Carl Dube recalled how important paint color was to a young teenager, still traumatized by the fire that had destroyed her family’s home in Bastrop County, Texas. As the new home for her family was nearing completion, she was determined that her room would show her joy.

“Her name was Sugar, and she wanted her room painted with purple, yellow and pink on three walls, and the fourth wall with bands of those colors,” he said. “When you walked into the hallway, it just glowed.”

Laura Dube said that accompanying homeowners as they make these choices is among the most meaningful conversations she has during an MDS response.

“It’s important to go from the beginning all the way to the end,” she said. “If they have any questions, they feel much more comfortable asking the person they talked to at the beginning. That is so reassuring to them.”

Hallways and house keys

For some disaster survivors the decisions that come with a new home are ones they’ve never had a chance to make before. In June 2021, after living in her new MDS-built home in Woodsboro, Texas, for two months, Willie Green still liked walking up and down the hallway.

“Never in my life have I had a hallway to walk down,” she said. “I’ve never lived in a house big enough to have a hallway.”

After receiving keys to the house at a dedication ceremony, she celebrated another “first.”

“I’ve never had a house with a key, in all those years. Can you believe that?”

Another homeowner, Indira Francis, in February 2022, chose two blue hues for her new home in Jennings, Louisiana. The names of the colors? “Bright Future” and “Vibrant Horizon.”

Thank you is enough

As many homeowners try to express their appreciation, they sometimes worry that “thank you” isn’t enough.

In fact, that’s more than enough, said Carl Dube. “I try to communicate to them that we are honored that they trust us enough to build their home. It’s a moment to let them know how much you value who they are.”