The Pitch
Home by Hand is a 501c3 nonprofit founded in 2015 as the successor to non-profit Project Home Again, one of the most prolific builders of affordable single-family homes in post-Katrina New Orleans. Home by Hand constructs storm resistant, energy efficient homes with a focus on stormwater management features. The organization serves low and moderate income households who would not be able to purchase a home without assistance, and fully prepare buyers for home ownership by educating, coaching, and guiding them through the entire home construction and sale process.
Oji Alexander
The Entrepreneur
Oji Alexander is the Executive Director at Home by Hand, Inc. As the former Senior Project Manager at Project Home Again, a nonprofit housing and community development organization in New Orleans, Oji led the development, maintenance and sale of over 170 new, energy-efficient, hurricane-resistant homes in the neighborhoods of Gentilly. He has worked with NORA and private real estate professionals to facilitate the transfer of over 250 properties that were blighted or abandoned so they could be used for housing development, gardens or lot-next- door expansions. Oji managed a staff of two in addition to overseeing Project Home Again’s construction team. He worked at Project Home Again since 2008. Prior to joining Project Home Again, Oji was the manager of a 190-seat restaurant in Westhampton Beach, NY where he managed a staff of 50 employees. Oji received a Bachelor’s degree in interpersonal communication with a minor in secondary education from The State University of New York at Albany. Oji is a resident of the Oak Park neighborhood in Gentilly and is an active community member. Oji also sat on the boards of NOLA Tree Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to replacing the tens of thousands of trees lost during Hurricane Katrina, Kickball of Crescent City, a New Orleans based Social Aid and Pleasure Club and Home By Hand, a non-profit self-help housing developer.