Former Saints player to assist with low income housing and open new business

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Former Saints player to assist with low income housing and open new business
July 13, 2009
Karen Gros
Examiner.com

Martin Gramatica, a former New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buc placekicker, is back on the scene in New Orleans, but not as an NFL player. Instead, Gramatica is returning to New Orleans to help bring affordable housing back to some residents who are still displaced from their homes after Hurricane Katrina.

Gramatica and his brothers own Gramatica Group Construction and are looking to expand and open a manufacturing facility in the New Orleans area. The Group is currently looking into purchasing another business, Home Front Homes, which provides for energy efficient homes sold in pre-fabricated kits. Opening the new manufacturing facility in New Orleans would boost the economy with providing new jobs and also reduce the price of the pre-fab homes by eliminating the cost of shipping materials from the current location in Florida.

The overall goal is to help provide assistance and housing to low income families in the greater New Orleans area, especially the lower 9th Ward. The pre-fabricated homes are approximately 1,400 square feet and sell for $125,000. The homes are constructed with 4 inch thick polystyrene foam and 6 inch thick roof panels and can be fully constructed in less than one week. The new homes will also be environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

Gramatica has teamed up with Julius Lee, who runs a non-profit organization to provide housing in New Orleans. The new "team" plans to provide 10 homes that will be energy efficient and affordable to the community. The homes will be located in the lower 9th and 7th wards.

Gramatica was cut early in the season from the New Orleans Saints in 2008 after missing several attempts. Gramatica suffered a pulled groin muscle during the third week of the regular season and played the next couple of games in pain. Gramatica's last game with the Saints was against the Minnesota Vikings where he delivered a 53 yarder.