Ozzy Herrera, a 27-year-old airport worker with two jobs, never imagined he would own a home. But in May, nearly 1,000 volunteers will help finish his new house and 23 other affordable units in Atlanta's Sylvan Hills neighbourhood as part of the 40th Carter Work Project. The week-long building sessions, named after former President Jimmy Carter and his late wife Rosalynn, have built about 5,000 homes worldwide since 1984. This marks the project's return to Atlanta for the first time since 1988.
The development, called Langston Park, sits on 8 acres of land purchased by Habitat for Humanity in 2015. The site, formerly a saw-blade manufacturer, was rezoned for residential use. It will feature a mix of single-family homes and townhomes – the first time Atlanta Habitat has built multifamily townhomes. Each home costs roughly $200,000 to build, and new homeowners pay a monthly mortgage based on their income without interest. Plans call for an additional 40 homes on the site.
This project reflects Habitat for Humanity's shift into real estate development, as many smaller developers have not recovered from the pandemic. "The gap between what a family can afford and what it costs to create that unit of housing is the widest it has been in modern history," said CEO Jonathan Reckford. High home prices and mortgage rates above 7% have made homeownership unattainable for many moderate-income households across the country.
Phileena Daniel, 27, also qualified for a home in Langston Park. She and her 7-year-old son have endured rat- and roach-infested rentals. "Sometimes we don't see ourselves going far in life as young Black women," she said. "This is giving us an opportunity to expand." The project occurs amid a national debate over affordable housing, with differing approaches in Congress and the White House.
