[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 24 (Monday, June 16, 2003)]
[Pages 756-757]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7685--National Homeownership Month, 2003

 June 13, 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 oppor-tunities 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.
    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.
                                                George W. Bush

 [Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., June 17, 
2003]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register on 
June 18.

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