EXCLUSIVE: Inside Brad Pitt’s HQ of broken dreams in New Orleans: Hollywood star’s nonprofit office in shambles following years of legal battles tied to post-Hurricane Katrina housing project

• New images taken of nonprofit’s office show massive deterioration on premises
• Pitt, 59, launched nonprofit in 2007 to provide residents with low-cost housing 
• It was mired in dysfunction and legal battles as the houses became dilapidated

The New Orleans office of Brad Pitt’s post-Hurricane Katrina housing project Make It Right was seen in a severe state of disrepair in a set of newly-released photos.

The Shawnee, Oklahoma-born actor, 59, launched the nonprofit in 2007, two years after the natural disaster, in an effort to provide residents of the city’s Lower Ninth Ward with low-cost sustainable housing.

The project has been mired in dysfunction for years, with legal battles playing out among residents and internally, as the houses fell into dilapidated condition.

The headquarters of the office, located on Tennessee Street, is in both exterior and interior ruins, as its doors have been torn off, leaving it open to the elements.

Much of the furniture has been stripped from the property, which is dangerously uninhabitable amid considerable damage with the stairs, floor and ceiling. Inside, pipes have been stripped from the walls and garbage is all over the floor.

The latest: The New Orleans office of Brad Pitt’s post-Hurricane Katrina housing project Make It Right is seen in a dilapidated state of disrepair in a set of newly-released photos. The actor, 59, was pictured in July in England 

Sad sight: The headquarters of the office, located on Tennessee Street, is in ruins both exterior and interior, as its doors have been torn off, leaving it open to the elements 

Disaster zone: The headquarters of the office are in a state of ruin, with the walls torn out and garbage all over the floor

Sources said that a resident in the area has put up signs locally asking the Academy Award-winning actor and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie to fix up his property.

Local residents spoke with photographers about their hopes that the Seven star will follow up on the project amid the substandard conditions.

Steve Conroy, 69, that the Fight Club actor ‘has forgotten about’ the people in the area he set out to help more than 15 years ago.

Conroy added: ‘It was all good when the spotlight was on us but now we’ve been left behind. People are living in condemned buildings with mold. It’s lethal, more than not safe.’

Constance Fowler, 71, said that the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star ‘should be appalled at what has happened’ with the homes and the state they are in, as well as the office, which remains ‘in a dangerous state.

‘We used to use it for community meetings, now homeless people use it as little more than a toilet and I heard someone was there recently using it as a place to cook meth until they fled from police.

Fowler added, ‘It’s a heartbreaking situation which should not have been allowed to deteriorate into what it is now.’

The project has been best by numerous issues over the past five years: In 2018, residents of the homes filed a lawsuit against the foundation claiming the homes were progressively deteriorating and dangerous amid conditions such as structural problems and potential gas leaks.

This past April, Global Green, a nonprofit that bailed out Make It Right for more than $20 million owed to Hurricane Katrina victims, was accused of not paying the tab after the new homes backed by the actor fell into ruins. 

Helping out: Pitt launched the nonprofit in 2007, two years after the hurricane, in an effort to provide residents of the city’s Lower Ninth Ward with low-cost sustainable housing. He was pictured at a press conference in New Orleans in August of 2007 amid work on the project 

Overgrown: Untended shrubbery surrounds the exterior of the one-time headquarters of the Moneyball leading man’s nonprofit organization 

The hope: A trashed picture of a model home from an architect’s rendering teases what could have been 

Destroyed: An interior shot of an office reveals a table flipped over and electrical parts hanging out of the ceiling

Trashed: Detritus and debris line an interior floor in the dilapidated office building 

Disuse: ‘It’s a heartbreaking situation which should not have been allowed to deteriorate into what it is now,’ a woman named Constance Fowler, 71, told photographers 

Make It Right built more than 100 homes in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. But the victims sued, alleging that the homes were poorly built after giving way to rot, mold and structural defects. 

Global Green, which previously worked with Pitt, agreed to pay $20.5 million in an August 2022 settlement with the Bullet Train actor’s foundation. However, CEO Bill Bridges claimed the nonprofit was told it would not have to follow the tight 10-day deadline. 

When Global Green was unable to come up with funds, it attempted to back out of the agreement, blaming Pitt’s ex-wife Angelina Jolie’s abuse lawsuit against him as reason why it was unable to raise funds. 

However, the company was unsuccessful and had been ordered to pay back $10 million in two months, with the other $10.5 million slated to be re-evaluated later on. 

Global Green also faced a contempt hearing after the judge lost confidence in the organization’s intervention, according to the Hollywood Reporter. 

Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation has left victims in a ‘long nightmare’ as their homes waste away and are in desperate need of repairs. 

‘My mother, she’s never seen the end of the tunnel from Katrina,’ Albert Matthews told the Hollywood Reporter. ‘It’s been very stressful for all of us.’ 

Matthews’ mother Marion Bryan, who is 91, has been patiently waiting for her new home since 2008, when she put the initial deposit down. 

Although the foundation built her a home, and then a second one, and then a third – all of which were deemed to have serious problems – she is still waiting on them to repair her third property, which was built in 2014. 

Destroyed furniture: Cabinets and office furniture were strewn all over the floor in one of the rooms 

Scattered: A photocopier and recycling bin full of garbage are among the items seen in a room

Major repairs needed: A caved-in ceiling was pictured on the premises, presenting a clear danger to inhabitants 

Legal trouble: In 2018, Make It Right faced a class-action lawsuit after 109 homes were determined to have been built poorly, were rotting and molding, and suffered from structural damage 

Shaming: Sources said that a resident in the area has put up signs locally asking the Academy Award-winning actor and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie to fix up his property 

In the meantime, she has been living with her son – a lucky disposition, as many other victims have been forced to live in substandard conditions while they wait for the repairs. 

In 2018, Make It Right faced a class-action lawsuit after 109 homes were determined to have been built poorly, were rotting and molding, and suffered from structural damage. 

In August 2022, Global Green announced it would pay the $20.5 million, which Pitt celebrated, telling TMZ at the time: ‘Hopefully this agreement will allow everyone to look ahead to other opportunities to continue to strengthen this proud community in the future.’ 

However, shortly after the announcement, Global Green attempted to back out of the agreement as it did not have the money to pay that amount and they blamed Pitt’s lawsuit. 

Pitt’s team denies that his reputation had anything to do with Global Green’s inability to fundraise and that the nonprofit is solely responsible to keep the promise it made to the victims. 

‘Brad had supported Global Green many years ago, so when they approached his team stating “$20.5M in funding” had been secured by their “generous donors,” there was interest in considering their proposal,’ a spokesperson for Pitt told the outlet. ‘Global Green represented themselves as having already obtained these funds and planned to use them toward resolving all claims in the ongoing lawsuit for the benefit of the homeowners.’

However, Bridge said Pitt’s team brought the nonprofit into the ‘snake pit’ and said it had attempted to raise the funds. 

‘Global Green was willing to make every effort to raise the funds, but when it wasn’t fast enough or to the level those parties required, Global Green became the scapegoat for what essentially has been the failure of the parties to resolve the matter,’ Bridge told the Reporter via email. 

When Pitt started the foundation, the goal was to built a 150 homes, but he admitted to a local outlet in 2015 that he and his team went into the project ‘incredibly naïve.’ 

Treacherous: The sign was seen posted on a property that appeared to have an unsteady staircase 

Shaky: Another structure was held up by six foundation posts on one side 

Rotting: A wooden staircase leading into a unit appeared unbalanced 

Dangerous: The foundation of another home appeared to be lacking in structural integrity 

Blemished: A trailer on blocks was surrounded by debris 

No man’s land; A trailer marked ‘Construction’ appeared to be abandoned and in decay 

‘Just thinking we can build homes — how hard is that? — and not understanding forgivable loan structures and family financial counseling and getting the rights to lots and HUD grants and so on and so forth. So it’s been a big learning curve.’ 

Four after Pitt’s company was sued, the judge approved Global Green’s settlement. 

Bridge had approached Pitt’s team last year to offer help, but insisted the nonprofit never indicated that there was ‘any guarantee or financial commitment at that stage of the conversation and that further due diligence, discussions, and actions requiring Mr. Pitt’s involvement would be needed.’ 

‘Global Green repeatedly told Mr. Pitt’s associates that it would be unable to raise those funds as quickly as was being demanded by the defendants and plaintiffs in the settlement agreement, and we were essentially told not to worry about that element, which was just a formality to get the agreement signed so that the fundraising project could move forward,’ Bridge told the Reporter.  

‘On multiple occasions I was personally reassured, as was our then-board chair, ‘not to worry’ about the terms and conditions of the actual agreement we were signing with the parties involved, and to ‘just sign it’ so we could start the process of raising money.

‘We did so reluctantly, but again in good faith with the assurance by the parties involved that we would not have to meet the 10-day condition in the agreement, to which we had objected.’ 

Pitt’s team denies that, adding that the actor had given $6 million of his own money to Make It Right since it began. 

‘Brad has dedicated significant time and resources over the past 15 years to supporting residents of the Lower Ninth as they recover from Hurricane Katrina,’ a rep for the actor said. ‘We are hopeful that Global Green will find a way to honor their commitment before the contempt hearing in October, and that these homeowners can receive the support they need.’ 

Pitt was in the headlines this week amid his discord with his adopted son Pax, 19, as DailyMail.com obtained a screenshot of an Instagram Stories post Pax posted in Father’s Day 2020 slamming the Hollywood stalwart.

Pax posted a shot of Pitt accepting his Oscar earlier that year, with the caption: ‘Happy Father’s Day to this world class a**hole! You time and time again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person.

Better days: Pitt was pictured in December of 2007 in New Orleans at an unveiling for the project 

‘You have no consideration or empathy towards your 4 youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence. You will never understand the damage you’ve done to my family because you are incapable of doing so.

He added: ‘You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell. You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday. So, happy Father’s Day, you f***ing awful human being!!!’

A source told The Sun on Tuesday that the World War Z star found it ‘depressing to see this dragged up’ and that he has ‘great respect’ for all of his children.

Said the source: ‘It’s frustrating to see Brad being painted as some kind of ”bad person” when it’s far from the truth.’

Source: Read Full Article