New Orleans , Louisiana ( CNN ) -- Much has been made of the more than quarter-million homes lost to Katrina along the Gulf Coast , and with good reason . Ride through almost any neighborhood that was hit and even five years later you can see the skeletons of buildings , or empty lots covered with weeds . But to truly grasp the impact of this storm , you also have to consider who lived in those homes : Working families ; the people who make the ports , the fishing business , the oil industry and the tourist attractions work . Florine Jenkins is one of them . Living in the 9th Ward of New Orleans , she has made a living as a housekeeper for many years . She is African-American , and old enough to tell tales of sitting in the balcony that was restricted for blacks at the city auditorium , while she watched white teens on the main floor below bopping to the music of Little Richard and Fats Domino . She fled Katrina and returned to find her home underneath a neighbor 's house . And like many others here , she had no idea how to navigate the bewildering maze of paperwork involved in rebuilding ; forms for insurance companies , government programs , contractors , utility companies , banks , mortgage brokers , on and on it went . `` Did you have any idea how to deal with all that ? '' I asked her . She smiled , shook her head , and gave one of the longest single-word answers I 've heard . `` Nooooooooooooo . '' Then she met Nikki Najioli . Nikki works for Build Now , is middle-aged , white , looks like the businesswomen she is , and spends her days helping others sort out such problems . In a strange way , it helps that she lost her own home and fully understands the thicket of questions that followed the storm . `` Do you tear down your house ? Do you put it back together ? If you put it back together do you have to elevate it ? If you are going to elevate it , how high are you going to elevate it ? And where 's that money going to come from ? It was just so overwhelming and even today it 's still overwhelming . '' Calming down the fears , and restoring the confidence of people who are trying to rebuild , is what Build Now is all about . Simply put , it is a nonprofit construction company that offers an array of modestly priced home designs , an endless supply of free advice to anyone trying to build , and a commitment to bring the working class neighborhoods back . `` This is the living room area , '' Ben Seymour , the construction manager for Build Now , says as he shows me around one model under construction in a neighborhood that saw eight feet of water . The house soars high in the air upon pilings driven deep into the earth ; a lovely , modest home with soft colors , elegant lines , and a style that echoes the surviving homes around it . The homes are made without eaves that a storm could snatch at to tear off the roof . The front porch is anchored to the house much more robustly than as customary , so that it too can stand firm . And most importantly , Seymour says , the basic design of the house can be expanded or contracted to fit the needs and wallets of folks who are watching their money . `` You can size it down . It still gives you a big open feel , and it 's built to what you 're going to use . '' So in every way , these really are working class family homes ? `` Absolutely . Absolutely , '' he says . `` They fit the budget . '' Even though this is a nonprofit endeavor , and Build Now does try to help homebuyers find financing , this is not a giveaway program . Each person must pay a fair price . Out on the porch I run into Nikki again , looking out at the quiet neighborhood where a few restoration projects seem to be underway . `` How much do these places cost ? '' I ask . `` On average , '' she says , `` about $ 150,000 . '' Still , for a great many folks , the help they have received from Build Now and other groups which are helping neighborhoods rebuild , is priceless . Florine Jenkins beams as she shows me the rest of her new home in the 9th Ward , now filled with family photos , furniture , and other personal items . I ask her if she thinks , in retrospect , that she could have pulled off rebuilding on her own given enough time . Her answer is emphatic : No way . `` I did n't know nothing about nothing like that . Build Now took care of everything . '' It is a heartfelt testimony to success : Once Katrina left her with nothing but questions . Now , once again , she has a home .
New Orleans residents still trying to rebuild homes hit hard by Hurricane Katrina . Nonprofit called Build Now guides people through red tape of permits , insurance , financing . Score: 6