Our History
A Collaborative, Regional Approach To Affordable Housing
Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. & Northern Virginia (Habitat DC-NOVA) is proud to have served families across the region for over 30 years. We formally became Habitat DC-NOVA in February 2022 when two separate Habitat affiliates, DC Habitat and Habitat NOVA, combined into a single, regional organization. Habitat DC-NOVA combines over 60 years of homebuilding and community service expertise into a unified organization to serve even more of our neighbors in need. Check out the history of our organization and milestones below.
Milestones In Habitat DC-NOVA History
1988
DC Habitat is founded by Carol Casperson.
1992
Former President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, along with 3,000 volunteers, construct 10 new homes on Benning Road, SE as part of The Carter Work Project.
1995
DC Habitat breaks ground at Skyland Park, a 34-townhome style development in Southeast DC. The project takes eight years to complete because DC Habitat has to construct the entire neighborhood infrastructure, including telephone poles, pipes, sewage lines, and more.
2004
DC Habitat breaks ground on 54 homes in Deanwood in Northeast DC. The development takes seven years to complete and averages ten homes constructed per year. DC Habitat is awarded EarthCraft Platinum recognition for its sustainable building of the last homes here.
2009
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama volunteer with DC Habitat on the 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance.
2010
The Carter Work Project returns to DC. Former President and Mrs. Carter and support the construction of 10 homes in Ivy City, DC.
2011
DC Habitat partners with students from The New School for Design to build the Empowerhouse, the District’s first home built to Passive House standards. It wins the affordability contest in the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2011 Solar Decathlon as well as the 2012 DC Mayor’s Sustainability Award. The house and its twin unit are sold to two local families with low-incomes.
2015
DC Habitat launches its Home Repair Program.
Habitat Young Professionals relaunches with new strategies to engage young people in affordable housing.
2017
DC Habitat’s Home Repair Program becomes a partner in the Safe at Home program, administered by the DC Department on Aging and Community Living to preserve affordable housing and promote aging in place by providing accessibility repairs to seniors and adults with disabilities.
DC Habitat launches the Home$mart Post-Purchase Education Program providing a free course on homeowner education, including how to manage a mortgage and maintain a home.
1990
Habitat NOVA is founded in Alexandria, VA.
1992
Habitat NOVA completes its first home on Seaton Street in Alexandria, VA.
1998
The Sandlot is formed as a group of regular construction volunteers with Habitat NOVA.
2001
Habitat NOVA earns International Tithe Award for Highest Tithe per U.S. House Built.
2004
ReStore Alexandria opens on South Pickett Street.
2006
Volunteers from Habitat NOVA lend their efforts to rehabilitate homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina in Buloxi, Mississippi.
2008
Habitat NOVA breaks ground on its first sustainable homes built to EarthCraft standards.
2009
ReStore Chantilly opens on Walney Road.
2011
Habitat NOVA launches its home repair program, A Brush With Kindness, to preserve existing affordable housing.
2015
Habitat NOVA leads local volunteers on a Global Village trip to build with Habitat for Humanity El Salvador.