[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 14125]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INTERNATIONAL

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, it was 1976 in Americus, GA. Millard Fuller 
and his wife Linda had sold their possessions, given away their 
millions and rededicated themselves to their Christian faith. They had 
decided to express their faith by building homes for the poor. They 
believed, in their words, that:

       What the poor need is not charity but capital, not 
     caseworkers but co-workers. And what the rich need is a wise, 
     honorable and just way of divesting themselves of their 
     overabundance.

  So they founded Habitat for Humanity International to build no-
interest, no-profit homes for the poor and homeless.
  Since then, the ecumenical, Christian-based organization has grown to 
serve 89 countries. It has built more than 150,000 houses providing 
more than three quarters of a million people with safe, decent, 
affordable shelter. Millard and Linda Fuller have taken a Biblical 
injunction and turned it into worldwide action.
  Jack Kemp, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and 
a board member of the organization, says that, ``When I'm asked about 
housing success stories from our inner cities, the first group that 
comes to mind is Habitat for Humanity.''
  I tell you all of this, because next month, I have the privilege of 
joining over two dozen volunteers in my home town of Nashville, TN, to 
help build a Habitat home for Anita Phillips, a single mom of three. 
Local businesses have donated supplies. Anita has taken out a no-
interest mortgage. She will be working alongside us, hammering nails 
and hauling lumber. Anita calls her new Habitat home ``a gift from 
God.''
  For nearly three decades, Habitat has shared the gift of 
homeownership with thousands around the world. Habitat helps organize 
local communities to pitch in and give hard working people like Anita 
the opportunity to build equity and pride.
  In Tennessee, alone, Habitat has 52 affiliates and serves 61 
counties. This year, Tennessee will celebrate building two thousand 
Habitat homes.
  Social scientists tell us that homeownership is one of the most 
important economic and social investments we can make. Owning a home 
helps families build financial stability and wealth. It helps break the 
cycle of poverty as families accumulate equity.
  Homeowners also become stakeholders in their communities. They become 
more invested in the civic life and health of their neighborhood. Their 
children are healthier and do better in school.
  Owning ones' home also generates a sense of pride and belonging. It's 
a big responsibility, but those four walls belong to you.
  I commend habitat for Humanity International for their tireless 
efforts. This past March, I was joined by over a dozen members from 
both sides of the aisle and both houses of Congress to build a home 
right here in the Nation's capital.
  I encourage my colleagues to participate in Habitat builds in their 
home States, as well. It sends the message that Congress is committed 
to helping organizations like Habitat spread the good work.
  This fiscal year, Congress has provided $27 million for the Self-Help 
Homeownership Opportunity Program. Also called, ``SHOP,'' the program 
requires homebuyers to contribute their labor to the construction or 
rehabilitation of their soon-to-be, new home. President Bush has 
requested $65 million for the next fiscal year to support the SHOP 
initiative.
  Additionally, the 108th Congress passed, and President Bush signed 
into law, the ``American Dream Downpayment Act of 2003.'' This new 
program will help 40,000 families a year with their down payment and 
closing costs.
  In the halls of Congress and in communities across America, we care 
about helping our neighbors fulfill the American dream.
  Habitat for Humanity International has been at the forefront of the 
cause.
  That is because through their faith and compassion, Millard and Linda 
Fuller realized decades ago that the working poor need a hand-up not a 
hand-out, and that a community is not just something you join, it's 
something you build.

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