Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter celebrates Habitat for Humanity project in Edmonton

Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn visited Edmonton Sunday to celebrate the latest Canadian build in their work with Habitat for Humanity, a project which will see 59 affordablehomes built in Edmonton.

The Carters have been working with Habitat for Humanity for 34 years.

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"Every year we've gotten more out of the projects than we put into it," the 92-year-old former president told a crowd of hundreds at the Shaw Conference Centre Sunday night.

They're working with more than 1,000 volunteers to build the new homes in Edmonton and 16 more in Fort Saskatchewan.

The effort is part of the 34th Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project, which will helpbuild 150 homes across Canada to mark Canada's 150th anniversary. Most will be in Edmonton and Winnipeg.

The new Edmonton homes are being built in the Laurel neighbourhood, in a development to be called Carter Place. Construction began earlier this year. The homes are to be completed in 2018.

Loreina Piccinin found out three months ago she's going to be one of the homeowners.

The divorced mother of four said she's been struggling to make ends meet.

"As my children get older, I want to have a spot for them to come back to if they need to and I want it to be affordable so I'm not struggling."

"I just felt a lot of tension lifted and weight off your shoulders," she said.

Rosalynn Carter, 89, admitted participating in the Habitat projects is hard work.

"I want to just say thank you to all who participated in making this to be the best one we've ever had," she told the crowd at the Shaw .

Habitat for Humanity Edmonton was founded in 1991.