Are you looking for a rewarding opportunity to make a tangible difference and do something meaningful that you can see and touch? Are you ready to work up a sweat and get your hands dirty together with a diverse team of dedicated volunteers? We only ask that team members be flexible, have a positive attitude, a sense of humor and be committed to helping others. Team members will also build lasting friendships with fellow teammates. Come join us for what possibly will be some of the hardest work but most rewarding times you’ll ever encounter. 

About Asheville, N.C.

Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity is located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. Buncombe County, while mostly rural, boasts of a vibrant downtown with unique, independently owned restaurants serving locally sourced food, active art scene and numerous festivals and activities for tourists and locals alike. There is an abundance of outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, white water rafting and climbing.

The lack of affordable housing in Buncombe County is identified as one of our community’s most serious problems by many diverse sources. Buncombe County is estimated to have approximately 2,000 substandard housing units within a total population of 238,300. Furthermore, the National Center for Housing Policy identifies Buncombe County as one of the nation’s counties where even police officers, teachers and firefighters cannot afford to buy a median-priced home due to the disparity between incomes and housing costs.  

About Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity
AAHH is a nonprofit organization that fosters community by partnering with qualified families and individuals to build new houses and preserve existing homes in Buncombe County. Our vision is a community where every family has a safe and decent home. Founded in 1983, AAHH was the first affiliate in North Carolina. AAHH has built 244 houses for almost 1,000 adults and children and builds between 13-15 new houses each year. Each house is built with volunteer labor and sold to qualified applicants at cost and with no-interest mortgages. 

Habitat builds simple, decent two, three and four-bedroom houses that meet NC Green Built standards. Approved homeowner applicants must demonstrate a need for safe and decent housing, have income 70 percent or less of the average median income and be willing to invest at least 200 “sweat equity” hours to help build their homes. As one of 50 affiliates selected nationwide by Habitat International, AAHH introduced its Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative program in 2010.  AAHH partners with approved low-income homeowners to remedy substandard housing conditions utilizing volunteer labor and interest-free loans.

Types of construction 

Volunteers will be building new homes or assisting with home repair projects. AAHH homes are one-story, wood frame houses between 900 and just under 1500 square feet. They are built in the Arts and Crafts style. Volunteers may help with all aspects of new construction or home repair: digging foundations; framing; roofing; installing windows doors, and vinyl siding; insulation; painting or landscaping. All tools and construction and deconstruction site materials will be provided by the affiliate. AAHH staff supervisors lead all volunteer projects.

Itinerary

Day 1 Saturday, April 5: Arrival Asheville, settle in and relax.
Day 2 Sunday, April 6: Explore Asheville including Biltmore House, Trolley Tour, River Arts District, Brewery tour and dinner downtown.
Day 3 Monday, April 7: Orientation and breakfast. Travel to work site: the work schedule might include home construction, a Neighborhood Revitalization Project or the Asheville Area Habitat ReStore. Workday is from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Lunch is at the worksite. Following the workdays, cultural events and sightseeing will be provided throughout the week.
Day 4-6 Tuesday-Thursday, April 8-10: Travel to work site.
Day 7 Friday, April 11: Farewell luncheon at the worksite. The final dinner will be at a local Asheville restaurant, followed by Asheville’s famous downtown drum circle, street entertainment and local music.  
Day 8 Saturday, April 12: Depart. 

Accommodations

The team will stay at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly, http://www.blueridgeassembly.org a retreat center located minutes away from the Habitat Swannanoa build site and the picturesque town of Black Mountain. Asheville is an easy 20 minute drive. 

Program cost

$1,490
This includes your donation to the Habitat host program and HFHI, meals, accommodations, internal transportation (excluding trip participant airfare) April 6 activities and orientation materials. (For more details about what is included in this cost, visit Global Village program cost.)


Increase your impact: Take the GV Challenge
Habitat for Humanity is accelerating its work to end poverty housing, and we need Global Village teams to help. Set a goal and fundraise to make your impact last longer than the days you’re in the field. Your support builds more homes, creates resource centers, educates families, and advances our projects to build sustainable communities. We’ll even provide tools to make fundraising easy. Take the GV Challenge – join us in sharing our story and building a better world.

Team leader 
Charlie Franck has worked and lived overseas for 33 years as an international educator in Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Kenya and Egypt. His partnership with Habitat for Humanity began more than ten years ago and he has led, co-led or participated in builds in Jordan, Hungary, India, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Romania and Mongolia. Having retired to Asheville, N.C., he is a core volunteer with the Asheville Habitat affiliate and is their Youth Program organizer. Charlie would love to show you his “home town” and encourages all prospective team members to contact him at cfranck47@yahoo.com or call 828-808-5161.