Cleveland Volunteers Build 15 Affordable Homes for Families

This Saturday morning, volunteers across Northeast Ohio will gather in a high school parking lot to build the walls that will become someone's future home.

Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity's Pope Leo Village Wall Build Day kicks off at 9 a.m. at Benedictine High School. Volunteers will frame 90 walls for one of 15 new affordable homes coming to Elwell Avenue in the Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood.

The initiative honors Pope Leo XIV's commitment to service. An anonymous donor launched the project in 2025, hoping to inspire people to demonstrate how vital service becomes when so many families need safe, affordable housing.

The Cleveland project will complete 11 homes in 2026, with four more finishing in 2027. Selected local families will help build their own homes, then purchase them with affordable mortgages that make homeownership possible.

Organizers still need 23 volunteers to help frame the walls on Saturday. Two more volunteers are needed to drop off snacks throughout the day.

The Ripple Effect

Cleveland's effort connects to something much bigger. More than 20 Habitat for Humanity affiliates nationwide have committed to building Pope Leo Villages in their communities.

Together, these groups are constructing 235 affordable homes across the United States. Community leaders, faith partners, youth participants, and future homeowners are working side by side to turn the vision into reality.

The movement engages young people especially, creating hands-on opportunities to serve while learning construction skills. Each wall they build represents a family moving toward stability and independence.

Greater Cleveland Habitat is celebrating the work with their 25th annual Walk, Run & Mosey on July 18 at Edgewater Park. The event is the organization's only fundraiser, supporting affordable homeownership for qualifying families.

"We can gather people of all ages and life stories," says Kimberly Pride, director of development. "They make a statement that affordable homeownership is important, that we all deserve a place to call home."

The morning includes games, music, yoga, T-shirt decorating, and a lakeside celebration of what communities can accomplish together. Registration is open now, with every participant helping build the next family's future.