For more than 35 years, former President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, have worked tirelessly to build affordable housing for people around the world.

They have attached siding to the front of a Habitat for Humanity home in Georgia. They have constructed wood framing for walls of a new place in Washington. They have passed nails between them, hammering together a house in Memphis.

This month, the Carters will travel to Nashville where hundreds of volunteers from across the country will help build 21 homes in the Habitat-developed neighborhood of Park Preserve in North Nashville.

The former President turned 95 years old on Oct. 1 and still he plans to help put new roofs over the heads of those in need.

"Every generation only has one or two iconic people who really transcend time, and I think Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Carter are two of those because of their humanitarian efforts, specifically for Habitat for Humanity," said Danny Herron, president and chief executive officer for Habitat of Greater Nashville.

"This will be a rare opportunity to see him, to be in his presence and to hear him challenge us to address the need for affordable housing."

Over the course of three decades, the Carters have worked alongside more than 100,000 volunteers in 14 countries to build, renovate and repair more than 4,000 homes. And they have inspired millions more through their dedication to the mission.

Habitat Humanitarians: A special distinction

The couple has the honor of being Habitat Humanitarians — a distinction held by only six people in the world.

Nashville's own country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood are two others. The couple first volunteered with Habitat in New Orleans to help build post-Hurricane Katrina Habitat homes on the Gulf Coast. In the last decade, they have lent their support to numerous Habitat projects, including the Carter Work Project and National Women Build Week.

"Like the Carters, they don't show up to get their picture made. They show up to work," Herron said. "They really want to get to know the families and to be a part of this. Not only with their presence, but they are physically doing what we believe in ... being a hand up not a handout. They embody it."

World-renowned construction and real estate experts Drew and Jonathan Scott, who are best known as the Property Brothers, are the final two Humanitarians. They often visit Habitat build sites to speak about affordable housing — which is a topic of interest and concern as Nashville's boom has left many struggling to afford escalating rent and skyrocketing home prices.

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With help from the Carter Work Project build, Park Preserve continues to expand

The 2019 Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project will be in Nashville Oct. 6-11. The former president will lead a devotion and then work alongside Brooks, Yearwood and the Nashville community to construct homes for working-class neighbors in need.

Area high schools, including Hunters Lane, Whites Creek, Stratford, Pearl Cohn and Maplewood, will send their bands to play music and escort volunteers. At the end of the week, the Carters will attend a show at the Grand Ole Opry.

Park Preserve is the Nashville Area Habitat for Humanity's fifth affordable housing neighborhood. Construction began in 2010 and the first six homes were dedicated on Oct. 17 of that year.

In the last decade, it has grown to 125 families, many who previously lived in public housing. The 1,100-square-foot, three-bedroom homes that started at $135,000 now have an appraised value of more than $175,000, Herron said, pointing to the revitalization of that North Nashville area.

With help from the Carter Work Project build, Park Preserve continues to expand. The neighborhood is expected to be complete with a total of 175 Habitat homes by the end of 2020.

"Affordable housing has become a critical issue in Nashville," Herron said. "... President Carter wants to challenge Nashville leadership and the community to not let this continue on but to take proactive steps to address it."

Reach Jessica Bliss at 615-259-8253 and jbliss@tennessean.com or on Twitter @jlbliss and please support local journalism.