[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 10190-10191]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       THE HOUSE THE SENATE BUILT

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, today the Senate has resolved to embark 
upon a unique partnership with Habitat for Humanity International. That 
is what I want to speak about this morning. In honor of National 
Homeownership Week, which concludes tomorrow, the Senate will resolve 
today to lend its support and its elbow grease to a project we call 
``The House the Senate Built.''
  The idea of this project is to bring Members of the Senate, their 
staffs, local Habitat affiliates, volunteers, and sponsors together to 
build simple and decent, affordable housing for low-income families in 
all 50 States and the District of Columbia, and to do this by the end 
of 2001.
  The project will begin with a ``model build'' right here in 
Washington, DC,

[[Page 10191]]

slated to begin before National Homeownership Week in 2001. Following 
this event, Habitat for Humanity International will link Senators with 
local Habitat affiliates in their respective States. The Senators will 
then work with these local affiliates to build at least one Habitat 
house in their States during 2001.
  So we are going to have 51 houses built by the Senate before the end 
of 2001.
  For over 24 years, Habitat for Humanity International has been at the 
forefront of turning the American dream of owning a home into a 
reality. Founded by Millard Fuller in 1976, Habitat for Humanity is an 
ecumenical Christian housing organization to eliminate poverty housing, 
end homelessness worldwide, and make a decent shelter a matter of 
conscience and action.
  Since its inception, Habitat has built over 80,000 homes that have 
housed over 400,000 people worldwide. This September, Habitat will 
build its 100,000th home, and they seek to build another 100,000 by 
2005. So they started 24 years ago. By September they will have built 
their first 100,000. In the next 5 years, they hope and anticipate 
building their next 100,000 homes.
  I have talked personally and visited a number of times with Millard 
Fuller. I have had him out to Kansas and hosted him there. He is quite 
a dynamic individual. He has a great heart and wants to see people 
around the world living in good housing. And he is getting there, one 
home at a time, but they are building up fast.
  Habitat for Humanity relies solely on volunteer labor to build their 
homes. The remarkable success of Habitat is in large part attributed to 
the tireless efforts of its founder, Millard Fuller, to continually 
bring new building partners on board.
  Over the years, Millard has enlisted the services of foreign 
Ambassadors, former Presidents--President Carter probably being the 
most noteworthy and most frequent builder--and even the House of 
Representatives has helped to aid in building homes at various sites 
across the country. This year, Millard Fuller has turned to the Senate 
to build some houses.
  I ran into Millard as I was waiting to catch my flight back home at 
the airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, this past January. Sitting there in a 
small waiting room, thousands of miles away from home, Millard shared 
with me the vision he had for bringing the Senate together with Habitat 
for Humanity International.
  He was in Nepal, building houses and announcing a program there, but 
at the same time he was also thinking, what could he do to build some 
through the Senate? That is where we discussed this program.
  The ``House the Senate Built'' project that was born out of this 
vision will undoubtedly be a successful one. We will build the houses. 
I think we will build a lot more than 51 houses. That is our target. 
Benjamin Franklin once wrote: ``Well done is better than well said.'' I 
think that may particularly apply to the Senate. We talk frequently 
about things. Here is a chance for us to do something about 
homeownership.
  I think it is going to be a great project for us to be able to put 
people in homes. I can come to the floor today in the middle of 
National Homeownership Week and tell you that we should be committed to 
end homelessness across the country and eliminate poverty housing, but 
instead of telling you that, I would rather show you. I would rather 
pick up a hammer and demonstrate my commitment to affordable housing, 
nail by nail.
  I am proud to come to the floor today and discuss this important 
initiative. This Senate is saying that words of support are not enough. 
Nothing less than the sweat of our brows will do in expressing how 
committed the Senate is in making the American dream of homeownership a 
true reality.
  I thank the Chair and hope we are going to be able to adopt this 
resolution yet today. I believe it has been cleared.

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