In September 1984, former US President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter led Habitat for Humanity volunteers to New York, building alongside 19 families in need of safe, affordable housing. That was the inaugural Carter Work Project, now a weeklong event held somewhere in the world each year. According to Habitat for Humanity International, the project has since built 4,496 houses in 14 countries with the help of 112,031 volunteers. Builds have taken place in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. The 2026 project returned to Atlanta, Georgia, for the first time since 1988, where 24 new homes were built in five days.
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How did the Carter Work Project expand beyond New York
According to Habitat, some 150 volunteers from the United States and Canada worked alongside future homeowners in Chicago in 1986 to build a four-unit townhouse. In 1987, President and Mrs Carter led 235 volunteers in constructing 14 houses in Charlotte, North Carolina's Optimist Park area. The 1988 project, the timeline says, built 20 homes in Atlanta, Georgia, and renovated another 10 housing units in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Habitat states that more than 1,100 volunteers joined the Carters in 1993 for the first Carter Work Project held entirely outside the United States, with 18 houses built in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and 10 in Waterloo, Ontario. The timeline says the 1996 project marked its first foray into Europe, with the Carters leading construction of 10 homes in Vac, Hungary, alongside homeowners and 500 volunteers from 23 countries. In 1999, Habitat reported that 14,000 volunteers from 32 countries helped build 293 homes in six communities in the Philippines. In 2001, more than 9,000 volunteers from South Korea and other countries worked with homeowners to build 136 housing units in Asan, South Korea.
What happened to the Carter Work Project in 2023
Habitat states that the Carters left a legacy of dedication to community service and human rights, and that it is honoured that they devoted over 35 years to supporting its mission through their advocacy. The organisation adds that some people assume Jimmy Carter founded Habitat, but that the Carters were its "most famous and tirelessly devoted volunteers".
President and Mrs Carter could not attend the 2023 project because of their health. Hundreds of volunteers gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina, to help build 27 homes alongside homeowners. In 2024, volunteers and homeowners in St. Paul, Minnesota, helped build 30 homes, and those at the event held an on-site celebration for President Carter's 100th birthday, though he could not attend. Habitat says the 2024 event marked the project's 40th anniversary and was hosted by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood from 29 September to 1 October 2024. In 2025, volunteers and homeowners in Austin, Texas, helped build 25 affordable, energy-efficient homes in the Whisper Valley development, the first Carter Work Project since President Carter's passing.
What happened at the 2026 Carter Work Project
According to Habitat for Humanity International, the 2026 Carter Work Project took place in Atlanta, Georgia, from 3 to 8 May. It was the first time since 1988 that the project had returned to Atlanta. Habitat says the volunteers built 24 new homes in five days, including townhomes and single-family residences in Langston Park, in Atlanta's Sylvan Hills neighbourhood.
Habitat's figures state that since 1984 the Carter Work Project has built 4,496 houses in 14 countries with the help of 112,031 volunteers. The organisation adds that the event has taken place in the United States and internationally, with builds in Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.
