Habitat for Humanity begins building blitz in Winnipeg

As Habitat for Humanity volunteers work on building eight homes in Winnipeg this week, one of the city's first recipients still lives in the house that was built 20 years ago.

Henry Laberge's house was built in 1993 by Habitat volunteers, including former U.S. president Jimmy Carter.

Carter came to Winnipeg in July of that year to raise public awareness of the relatively new project that built new houses for families that could otherwise not afford it.

"I think the concept of Habitat, combined with the actual homes we're building, will go a long way to alleviating poverty housing throughout the world," Carter said at the time.

Twenty years later, Laberge has made the last mortgage payment on the home.

"The house is holding together, you know. Pretty good, yeah," he told CBC News on Monday.

Construction director Vern Koop, who worked alongside Carter two decades ago,is guiding hundreds of volunteers as they build eight houses over the next six days.

"There's nothing more satisfying [than] when you hear your volunteers saying, 'I've never done in my life before. I've never nailed a thing. Hey, I can do this at home,'" he said.

"When you see the kids and the homeowners, when they get the keys for the home, that's really the tipping point!"

Click on the video player above to watch Meagan Fiddler's report.