[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 38 (Monday, March 30, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING MONTGOMERY'S HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

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                           HON. TERRY EVERETT

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 30, 1998

  Mr. EVERETT. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to pay tribute to an 
outstanding organization that is building lives as it builds homes for 
the needy in my congressional district in central Alabama. I'm speaking 
about the Montgomery, Alabama Habitat for Humanity. I would like to 
enter into the Record this recent editorial in The Montgomery 
Advertiser honoring our local volunteers' selfless efforts.

       For sheer effectiveness, few charitable undertakings rival 
     the work of Habitat for Humanity. The Montgomery chapter of 
     that organization will soon begin its most ambitious project 
     yet, a neighborhood of perhaps as many as 50 homes built the 
     Habitat way--with donated money, materials and labor in what 
     can only be described as the spirit of love.
       Habitat enjoys such wide support and admiration because it 
     accomplishes its stated mission without a lot of frills or 
     fanfare. It puts in decent housing people who are willing to 
     work and be responsible homeowners, but who would never 
     qualify for a mortgage from a conventional lender.
       Its most famous volunteer worker is former President Jimmy 
     Carter, who is a pretty fair carpenter, but anyone who can 
     drive a nail or carry some lumber or make sandwiches for 
     lunch or do any of scores of other necessary tasks can find a 
     way to help with a Habitat project.
       Montgomery Habitat for Humanity envisions a neighborhood 
     off the Alabama River Parkway, near North Pass neighborhood. 
     The land is in hand, foreclosed property donated by Troy Bank 
     and Trust.
       Habitat officials favor the idea of creating neighborhoods 
     over building individual houses scattered around a community. 
     Montgomery Habitat built Litchfield, a 16-home neighborhood 
     near Maxwell Air Force Base. Now it's looking at a project 
     three times that size.
       Habitat is not some no-strings giveaway program. Those for 
     whom Habitat homes are built make monthly payments on their 
     homes, with the money going into a revolving account that 
     helps pay for building other homes. They also are required to 
     invest 400 hours of ``sweat equity'' on their homes and 
     others.
       Habitat founded by former Montgomerian Millard Fuller 22 
     years ago, has built homes from the start, but by building 
     neighborhoods it also builds lives. It builds a sense of 
     community and gives hard-working, low-income people a stake 
     in their neighborhood that rental property or government-
     subsidized housing cannot provide.
       Habitat is effective, which makes it especially appealing 
     to those people who can contribute their time and labor and 
     those whose contributions can only be financial. The proposed 
     new neighborhood is an exciting prospect for Habitat and for 
     Montgomery.

     

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