Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity will co-host annual ‘Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project

The 27th annual week of building and rehabbing supports neighborhood revitalization initiatives underway in North Minneapolis and the East Side of St. Paul

TWIN CITIES, MN - April 13, 2010 – Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity will co-host the 27th annual "Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project,” a weeklong project of building, rehabilitating and repairing homes, October 4-8, 2010. Building activities will begin on World Habitat Day, Oct. 4, as part of a worldwide effort to highlight the need for stable communities and healthy housing. During the weeklong project, President and Mrs. Carter will join volunteers to build and repair houses in partnership with families in need of simple, decent and affordable housing.

“Rosalynn and I are pleased to join Habitat for Humanity volunteers in six communities this year to help raise walls on new homes and improve existing housing,” said President Carter. “More than 75 homeowners will realize new or improved housing conditions as a result of this week.”

The Carters will work with volunteers in Washington, D.C.; Baltimore and Annapolis, Md.; Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.; and Birmingham, Ala. In each location, volunteers will participate in a combination of building new houses and improving existing homes.

“The Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project adds momentum to our current foreclosure remediation efforts and our work with partners to revitalize neighborhoods,” said Sue Haigh, President, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. “We will make an even greater impact this fall with President and Mrs. Carter and our community partners in serving more families in Minneapolis and St. Paul.”

Over the course of the week, volunteers will build, renovate or repair a total of 20 homes in North Minneapolis and the East Side of St. Paul, which are two of the areas in most need of stabilization in the Twin Cities. This work will build upon on-going efforts of the cities and their partners, these neighborhoods and Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity to help improve the housing in these areas, including rehabilitation of foreclosed properties.

“President and Rosalynn Carter have committed their lives to public service and drawing attention to the humanitarian needs of the global community,” said former Vice President Walter Mondale. “Their presence in our neighborhoods will bring focus to the challenges our urban centers face in this housing crisis and provide an opportunity for thousands of people to come together to address the problem.”

The combined effort of Habitat for Humanity’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project will impact ten homes in each city, increasing property values and stabilizing homeownership in each neighborhood.

“The Twin Cities affiliate has established itself as a leader in not only building and rehabbing houses, but for responding in innovative ways to address its local housing needs,” said Jonathan Reckford, CEO of Habitat for Humanity International. “We are grateful that the Carters and volunteers are joining us in this important work. Whether we are building new houses, or rehabilitating and repairing existing structures, we want to find the best way to make a significant and positive local impact.”

In North Minneapolis, Habitat’s “Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project” will take place in the Hawthorne EcoVillage neighborhood. “The City and its partners are making EcoVillage a safe and vibrant place to live in Minneapolis,” said R.T. Rybak, Mayor of the city of Minneapolis. “We are very grateful that Twin Cities Habitat and President and Mrs. Carter will be working in EcoVillage, adding energy to the effort underway while creating more housing options for residents as we work together to rebuild this community, ” Rybak added.

On the East Side of St. Paul, Habitat’s “Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project” will take place in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood. “City and neighborhood leaders are going to spend the summer getting ready to roll out the red carpet to President and Mrs. Carter,” said Chris Coleman, Mayor of St. Paul. “This project will add momentum to the work already being done to revitalize this neighborhood and attract economic development.”

For 27 years the Carter Work Project has been a catalyst for increasing the work being done in local communities and empowering people to bring hope, stability and housing solutions. President and Mrs. Carter are Habitat for Humanity’s most famous volunteers and give a week of their time each year to help Habitat build, renovate or repair homes and raise awareness about the need for affordable and decent housing. Similar to Habitat’s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, the Carters joined Habitat for Humanity in 1984 to help renovate a decaying building in New York City’s Lower East Side. Today, the building is part of a thriving, reinvigorated and dynamic community. Since that first build, the Carters and thousands of volunteers have worked with Habitat for Humanity across the United States and in Mexico, Canada, Hungary, South Africa, South Korea, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Laos and Vietnam.

More information is available at www.tchabitat.org/carter.

About Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
The mission of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity is to eliminate poverty housing from the Twin Cities and to make decent, affordable shelter for all people a matter of conscience. An award-winning nonprofit housing developer, Twin Cities Habitat is committed to building the quality of life, health and economic prosperity of the region by producing, preserving and advocating for affordable homeownership – because homes and families are the foundation of successful communities.
For more information, visit www.tchabitat.org.

About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry that welcomes to its work all people dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built, rehabilitated, repaired or improved more than 350,000 houses worldwide, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 1.75 million people. For more information, or to donate or volunteer, visit www.habitat.org.