[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 117 (Wednesday, June 18, 2003)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 36445-36446]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15539]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 117 / Wednesday, June 18, 2003 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 36445]]

                Proclamation 7685 of June 13, 2003

                
National Homeownership Month, 2003

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Homeownership is more than just a symbol of the 
                American Dream; it is an important part of our way of 
                life. Core American values of individuality, thrift, 
                responsibility, and self-reliance are embodied in 
                homeownership. I am committed to helping more families 
                know the security and sense of pride that comes with 
                owning a home.

                The Department of Housing and Urban Development is 
                leading an Administration-wide effort to bring new 
                tools and resources to would-be homeowners. We are 
                providing financial assistance to qualified families 
                through the American Dream Downpayment Fund, funding 
                educational programs that stress financial literacy, 
                and offering a compassionate hand to those who dream of 
                moving from subsidized housing into homeownership. And 
                through the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity 
                Program, my Administration partners with nonprofit 
                organizations that offer homeownership opportunities to 
                families willing to contribute their skills and labor 
                to help build a home of their own. We are also 
                proposing ways to make it easier to shop for a mortgage 
                and to make mortgages available to more families 
                through the Federal Housing Administration.

                Today, the United States is fortunate in that our 
                homeownership rate is at an all-time high, and low 
                interest rates continue to encourage millions of 
                Americans to become first-time homeowners. Although a 
                record number of Americans own their own homes, we 
                continue to see a gap between the homeownership rates 
                of minorities and nonminorities. By a significant 
                margin, minority families are less likely to own their 
                own homes. Therefore, I have called upon the entire 
                housing industry to join with my Administration to 
                expand minority homeownership across the Nation. Our 
                goal is to help at least 5.5 million minority families 
                become homeowners by the end of this decade, and our 
                Blueprint for the American Dream Partnership is taking 
                bold steps to make this a reality.

                Across our Nation, every citizen, regardless of race, 
                creed, color, or place of birth, should have the 
                opportunity to become a homeowner. Homeownership 
                represents a pathway to pride and prosperity for many 
                families, encourages values of responsibility and 
                sacrifice, creates stability for neighborhoods and 
                communities, and generates economic growth that helps 
                strengthen the entire Nation.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim June 2003 as National 
                Homeownership Month. I call upon the people of the 
                United States to join me in recognizing the importance 
                of offering every American the opportunity to realize 
                their dream of homeownership and to help work towards 
                making that dream a reality.

[[Page 36446]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand three, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 03-15539
Filed 6-17-03; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P