Thanks to one of our longest partnerships, we kicked off National Volunteer Month with THREE home dedications, alongside sponsor Clark Howard and new homeowners Jessica, Shamika and Nykia.
This tremendous achievement adds to the legacy Clark has built working with Atlanta Habitat for Humanity over the years. When he started his first home build in 1996, neither he nor the organization could have envisioned the impact the partnership would have on our community.
For more than 25 years, Clark has been committed to our mission to provide affordable homeownership. To date, that commitment has produced 81 new homes with Atlanta Habitat.
A Generational Commitment to Housing and Shelter
Clark’s passion for affordable housing and ensuring access to shelter for our community is rooted in his family history.
In the Winter of 1984, six homeless people passed away during freezing temperatures in Atlanta. Clark’s father, who had experienced homelessness in his youth while living in New York City during the Great Depression, was moved to create change and provide a resource to prevent such unnecessary loss of life in the future. From that, Temple Zaban Night Shelter was born.
Inspired by his father, Clark was insistent on not stopping at emergency shelters, but finding a solution to affordable, permanent housing.
Clark Finds Atlanta Habitat
In the early 1990s, Clark learned about Habitat for Humanity—an international organization driven by volunteers and good-hearted people who could quickly build high-quality, affordable homes. He immediately began researching ways to get involved and found the local branch of the organization, Atlanta Habitat. He then went to his wife and said “we have to start saving.”
After a few years of saving up, Clark was able to fund his first Atlanta Habitat project. He rallied his supporters, listeners and team members to volunteer and got to work alongside Tinnie Prather, his first Habitat homeowner. Clark dedicated the completed home to his inspiration, his father Bernard Howard.
Just last year, Tinnie was able to pay off her home in full!
A Lasting Commitment
Since that first build, Clark and his team have completed 81 home builds with Atlanta Habitat. Following severe tornadoes that ripped through the area in 2010, Clark expanded his work to Green County Habitat for Humanity in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has continued building in the Tulsa community ever since.
As both a sponsor and volunteer, Clark has been an integral piece of our efforts to provide affordable housing in Atlanta. In addition to his generous monetary donations, he puts in sweat and elbow grease at each of his builds, and brings a bright smile and hugs to his new homeowners at every dedication day.
