CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Volunteers will come together to build 39 new homes at an affordable housing development near the airport in west Charlotte. Preparations will culminate with construction taking place the first week of October.
"I'm very excited," future resident Brianna said. "This is something that's really, really great for my family. Like my kids, just a blessing."
Brianna is thrilled to be finally moving into her own home with her kids. She'll be moving into one of the 39 new homes at the Meadows at Plato Price. Habitat for Humanity is building the community in West Charlotte. The $10.6 million development is named after the all-Black grade school that once stood here.
"I got connected with Habitat through a family friend," she said.
It hasn’t always been easy for Brianna. At the age of 16, she was diagnosed with macular dystrophy and is legally blind, but she doesn’t let obstacles get in her way.
"By me having this disability, it doesn't stop me," Brianna said. "So with the design of the house, I've been out here, busting them sweat equity hours, and I'm doing what I can to help."
The Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project to benefit Habitat for Humanity is returning to Charlotte with WCNC Charlotte as a proud partner.
For Laura Belcher, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Charlotte, building affordable housing in the area is her top goal.
"It's really a challenge in Charlotte. The need for housing is immense," Belcher told WCNC Charlotte's Sarah French. "We have a multi-year backlog, a pipeline of applicants that are qualified and ready for housing. We're just trying to build as fast as we can."
For Brianna, this home is an answered prayer.
"It has been just amazing. Like just being out here to actually see it from the foundation to the walls going up and the roof going on," Brianna said. "I look forward to my kids being able to play in a safe area. Being in a cul-de-sac area, they'll be able to ride their bikes. My kids are my number one priority. And so I just feel safe. I can't wait to have holidays and different little events inside my house. Like just something that I can call mine."
Ahead of October, WCNC Charlotte will share stories about the affordable housing struggle in Charlotte and how the "Carter Work Project” will help those in need. Among the celebrities who will be in Charlotte to lend their voices – and their muscles – Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood!
Contact Sarah French at Sarah@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Watch all of Sarah's stories leading up to the 2023 Carter Work Project: