Carter Work Project to build 25 homes, returns for first year after former president's death
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin leaders have said that helping make Austin more affordable remains one of their top priorities. On Monday, they'll get some help from a former first family that made housing its legacy.
Former President Jimmy Carter's son, Chip Carter, along with Travis County Judge Andy Brown, Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford and others, will kick off Habitat's annual project in eastern Travis County.
Twenty-five homes will be built in five days with the help of hundreds of volunteers. It marks the first time a Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Work Project has happened since Jimmy Carter's death in December 2024.
The project is in the Whisper Valley neighborhood, east of Walter E. Long Lake, all week long.
"Austin, as I like to say, is getting it done with regard to affordable housing," Mayor Kirk Watson said. "That's thanks to not just thanks to the local government doing well, but also organizations like [Habitat for Humanity]."
Over the last 40 years, Austin Habit for Humanity said it has built more than 570 new homes and repaired more than 435 homes across Bastrop, Blanco, Caldwell, Hays and Travis counties.
The work is officially expected to kick off at 11 a.m. Monday