Clark Howard’s Habitat for Humanity project working to complete 100th home

It’s 100 homes and counting for Channel 2 consumer advisor Clark Howard.

He and his team are now working on their 100th Habitat for Humanity house, and it belongs to first-time homeowner Zeroline Rogers.

“I can’t even put into words how excited I am,” she said. “I never thought that I would ever get a house. I just turned 65 and it’s never too late.”

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The house is located on Delta Way off Browns Mill Road in southeast Atlanta.

Howard and his employees spent much of Thursday working on the house, putting up siding, with Rogers joining the effort.

“It’s something I can share with my grandkids and everybody – that I nailed so many nails and I helped build my own house,” she said. “It’s just exciting.”

For 29 years, Howard and his staff have partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build houses across the country.

“Because I’ve seen Habitat make such a difference in the lives of a hardworking family who’s able to buy a home at a monthly rent they can afford,” Howard said.

With a zero-interest mortgage, and all the volunteer labor, this home with four bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths is a dream Rogers can afford. “For me, it’s not the homes that excite me, it’s the smiles on the faces of the family members,” Howard said.

It puts smiles on the faces of his team members, as well, including Jennifer Hutcheson. Her regular job is a copyeditor, but now she’s pounding nails. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s great,” she said. “The homeowner’s working with us. She’s right here with us drilling holes and hammering nails. It’s awesome.”

Howard isn’t about to stop at 100 – not by a long shot. He’s on house number 101 in Tulsa, Okla.

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“Right now, a lot of people feel the American dream is broken,” he said. “They’re bringing home a check, but it’s never enough to be able to buy a home, and Habitat is this special ladder up to homeownership.”

Nicole Carroll, who works on social media for Clark Howard, had the job of cutting wood. “It’s so rewarding, it’s so rewarding,” she said. “You get to meet the homeowner, so you know exactly who it is you’re volunteering for and that you’re making their dreams come true.”

The house will be dedicated in April, and Rogers hopes to get in by Mother’s Day.

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