NC State and Habitat for Humanity of Wake County showcased their work in an open house on Wednesday afternoon. NC State students have committed over 10,000 hours to the three-bedroom houses, with an anticipated average of 20,000 hours by the end of the project.

The “Build-A-Block” initiative, a pledge from NC State to build 11 homes with Habitat over the course of a year, is about halfway to its goal, with five houses on Lake Wheeler Road ready for families to move in by the end of January, and the next six homes anticipated to be ready by May.

“Meeting the families was my drive when I started with Habitat, said Sarah Paluskiewicz, co-chair of Build-A-Block and a graduate student studying textile engineering. “It took a few years to kind of get the right people in place for the project, but with the chancellor’s support right off the bat, it was a no-brainer that we would absolutely go through with it.”

The NC State chapter of Habitat for Humanity, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, raised approximately $120,000* for Build-A-Block through events like Shack-A-Thon, the annual fundraiser that takes place in the Brickyard. The chapter’s contributions, along with others, have helped Build-A-Block leaders reach 85 percent of their $715,000 goal. 

“This project is an exciting opportunity,” said Mike Giancola, co-chair of Build-A-Block. “Our campus chapter of Habitat always does a really great job, and so there’s a really great legacy there of their leadership. This project takes that to the next level.”

Melanie Rankin, director of development at the Wake County Habitat for Humanity, described the benefits of having NC State as a partner in advancing housing for low-income families. The Wake County branch of Habitat builds an average of 60 houses a year to address the intense need for affordable housing, with an estimated 28,000 families in search of affordable housing in Wake County alone, according to Rankin.

“NC State has really embraced this whole program,” Rankin said. “We hope to continue; it might not be Build-A-Block, but we just hope next year, and every year, that they [NC State] want to build at least one house, if not more. For us to have a partner that’s willing to do 11 homes in one school year, this is the first time ever.”

Editor’s Note: This article initially inaccurately stated how much money had been raised. The article has been updated to reflect the correct amount.