Millcreek Valley Habitat for Humanity » Habitat in the News http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org Entering our 19th year of Building Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:27:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8 en hourly 1 MVHFH is deeply saddened by the death of Millard Fuller http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2009/02/mvhfh-is-deeply-saddened-by-the-death-of-millard-fuller/ http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2009/02/mvhfh-is-deeply-saddened-by-the-death-of-millard-fuller/#comments Tue, 03 Feb 2009 17:50:28 +0000 billh http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2009/02/mvhfh-is-deeply-saddened-by-the-death-of-millard-fuller/ It was just a little over a year ago when I met Millard. We were celebrating the completion of our 50th house. At a celebration dinner he challenged us to build the next 50 houses in half the time it took to build the first 50 houses. We had a lot of questions of how we were going to accomplish this monumental task. He said everything we needed would be provided if we would build on faith. He told several stories how various groups had taken a leap in faith to start building a house when they had no idea how they were going to get the funds or the people to complete the house. These groups were amazed and overjoyed when their results far exceeded their modest goals. Millard was a very special person and I am saddened by his loss. Here is the press release from HFHI.

February 3, 2009

Dear Habitat for Humanity partners,

Habitat for Humanity is deeply saddened by the death of Millard Fuller, the visionary whose ideas and tireless work created Habitat for Humanity.

Mr. Fuller led Habitat from its founding in 1976 until his separation from the organization and his founding of the Fuller Center for Housing in 2005. He died early today, Feb. 3, following a brief illness. He was 74.

“Millard Fuller was a force of nature who turned a simple idea into an international organization that has helped more than 300,000 families move from deplorable housing into simple, decent homes they helped build and can afford to buy and live in,” said Jonathan Reckford, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International. “The entire Habitat family mourns the loss of our founder, a true giant in the affordable housing movement.  Our prayers are with the entire Fuller family.”

The idea for Habitat for Humanity was born at Koinonia Farm, a Christian farming community founded in 1942 in rural southwest Georgia to be a “demonstration plot for the Kingdom of God.” Millard and Linda Fuller made their way to that demonstration plot in 1965.

By the time Millard Fuller turned 29, he had earned his first million dollars as an entrepreneur and attorney. But as his finances flourished, his health and marriage crumbled. To save their marriage, the Fullers decided to begin anew. They sold all that they owned, gave the money to the poor and in their searching, landed at Koinonia where they began soaking up the teachings of farmer, theologian and community founder Clarence Jordan.

In time, Jordan and Fuller launched a program of “partnership housing,” building simple houses in partnership with rural neighbors who were too poor to qualify for conventional home loans. The first house was dedicated in 1969 and others soon followed. In 1973, the Fullers took the concept of partnership housing to Africa. Within a few years, simple concrete-block homes were replacing unhealthy mud-and-thatch homes … and Millard Fuller had a bold idea: If partnership housing could improve lives in Georgia and Zaire, why not the rest of the world?

In 1976, the Fullers returned to the United States and launched Habitat for Humanity International. By the organization’s 25th anniversary, tens of thousands of people were volunteering with Habitat and more than 500,000 people were living in Habitat homes.

Millard Fuller was a prolific writer, authoring 10 books. He had received more than 50 honorary degrees and in 1996 received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. In presenting the medal, President Bill Clinton said, “Millard Fuller has done as much to make the dream of homeownership a reality in our country and throughout the world as any living person.” Jack Kemp, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and former HFHI board member agreed, adding, “When I’m asked about housing success stories from our inner cities, the first group that comes to mind is Habitat for Humanity.”

Among numerous other awards, Fuller was named to the National Housing Hall of Fame and had received the World Changer Award, the World Methodist Peace Award, the Norman Vincent Peale Award, the John W. Gardner Leadership Award and the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award.

“Millard Fuller’s drive and relentless commitment to affordable housing captured people’s imagination and changed lives around the world,” said J. Ronald Terwilliger, chair of Habitat for Humanity’s International Board of Directors. “His inspiration lives on in Habitat’s work and through its employees, volunteers, partner families and supporters.  We extend our sincere condolences to the Fuller family and are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers.” 

Chris Clarke
Senior Vice President
Marketing and Communications
Habitat for Humanity International

]]> http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2009/02/mvhfh-is-deeply-saddened-by-the-death-of-millard-fuller/feed/ 0 The Enquirer – Habitat offers sweet equity http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2007/04/the-enquirer-habitat-offers-sweet-equity/ http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2007/04/the-enquirer-habitat-offers-sweet-equity/#comments Wed, 18 Apr 2007 13:17:41 +0000 billh http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/?p=55 For those of you who missed the nice article in the Cincinnati Enquirer here is the link to the mail article and the related stories. My only complaint is that the Enquirer has the wrong number of foreclosures and mortgages that were paid off. Since 1989 we have had to foreclose on three houses and we have two home owners who chose to pay off their mortgages early so that they could buy another home. In my research I found that the death of the principal wage earner forced two houses out of the program. One house was paid off with insurance proceeds and the other house was returned to the affiliate to be rehabbed and sold again.

Related Stories

Source: The Enquirer – Habitat offers sweet equity

]]> http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2007/04/the-enquirer-habitat-offers-sweet-equity/feed/ 0 Millcreek Valley Supports UC Alabama-Build over Spring Break http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2007/03/millcreek-valley-supports-uc-alabama-build-over-spring-break/ http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2007/03/millcreek-valley-supports-uc-alabama-build-over-spring-break/#comments Fri, 02 Mar 2007 21:49:05 +0000 Gabe http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/?p=42 Volunteer Dan Dallmer will be taking a group of UC students to Lanatt, Alabama over spring break to build a house there. Their home will be the first of the Chattahoochee Initiative sponor by The Fuller Center and the City Council of Lanatt. The Fuller Center is headed by Habitat for Humanity founder, Millard Fuller. Dan explains that Lanat was once a thriving area with over 15,000 mill jobs. Lately this region has fallen on hard times, and has been further stressed by families that have relocated from Hurricane Katrina. In order to prepare for the trip, Dan and volunteers pre-cut wood in the Millcreek Valley warehouse, and assembled walls in space donated by Green Realty. This will serve as training for the 11 UC students who will make the trip with Dan. They will be in Lanatt during UC’s Spring Break, March 19-23. The trip is being paid for by the personal donations of UC trustees.

Read about the trip in the Cincinnati Enquirer http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070322/NEWS01/703220417/-1/all

]]> http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2007/03/millcreek-valley-supports-uc-alabama-build-over-spring-break/feed/ 0 Newscast on How Crime Prevents Habitat for Humanity from Building in Parts of Lincoln Heights http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/12/newscast-on-how-crime-prevents-habitat-for-humanity-from-building-in-parts-of-lincoln-heights/ http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/12/newscast-on-how-crime-prevents-habitat-for-humanity-from-building-in-parts-of-lincoln-heights/#comments Thu, 28 Dec 2006 15:04:32 +0000 billh http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/?p=31 For those of you who missed the broadcast last night, here is the link to Channel 12’s newscast which explains how the crime problems on Jackson Street in Lincoln Heights have effected our building program and Habitat families currently residing on this street.

Crime Prevents Habitat For Humanity From Building

]]> http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/12/newscast-on-how-crime-prevents-habitat-for-humanity-from-building-in-parts-of-lincoln-heights/feed/ 0 Research Brief on State of America’s Cities http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/12/research-brief-on-state-of-america%e2%80%99s-cities/ http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/12/research-brief-on-state-of-america%e2%80%99s-cities/#comments Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:04:05 +0000 Gabe http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/?p=30 America’s municipal housing directors say that cities are struggling to meet the housing needs of low-income working families and that federal and state governments are not doing enough to support local efforts to ensure housing opportunities in their community.

http://www.nlc.org/content/Files/06_HousingBrief.pdf

]]> http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/12/research-brief-on-state-of-america%e2%80%99s-cities/feed/ 0 Rental Costs Continue to Climb, Pricing Millions of Working Americans Out of Their Own Housing Markets http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/12/rental-costs-continue-to-climb-pricing-millions-of-working-americans-out-of-their-own-housing-markets/ http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/12/rental-costs-continue-to-climb-pricing-millions-of-working-americans-out-of-their-own-housing-markets/#comments Thu, 14 Dec 2006 19:46:18 +0000 Gabe http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/?p=24 The cost of affordable rental housing climbed again in 2006, out pacing the wages of those who need it most. The national two-bedroom Housing Wage climbed to $16.31 for 2006, up from $15.78 last year. This is the hourly wage a full time worker must earn in order to afford a two-bedroom home at his or her community’s Fair Market Rent (FMR).

The National Low Income Housing Coalition’s (NLIHC) annual Out of Reach report, released on December 12, provides data for every state, metropolitan area and county in the country showing how much a household must earn to afford a modest market-rate rental home. The report also provides local wage and income data for comparison purposes.

“Every year it is becoming more difficult for low income families to find decent homes they can afford,” said NLIHC President Sheila Crowley. “As we approach the holiday season with its intense focus on consumer spending, Out of Reach shows the difficulty that millions of low-income families face to even pay for their homes.”

While the national two-bedroom Housing Wage stands at $16.31, in 2005, the most recent year for which data are available, the median hourly wage for all workers was $14 and the estimated average renter wage was $12.64. The problem is particularly stark for the lowest wage earners, including those who earn just the minimum wage, even in states that have higher minimum wages than the federal minimum wage, which has been stalled at $5.15 since 1997. Minimum wage earners are unable to afford even a one-bedroom home anywhere in the country, and 88% of renters in cities live in areas where the FMR for a two-bedroom rental is not affordable even with two minimum wage jobs.

]]> http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/12/rental-costs-continue-to-climb-pricing-millions-of-working-americans-out-of-their-own-housing-markets/feed/ 0 Audio photo gallery from the Enquirer http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/11/audio-photo-gallery-from-the-enquirer/ http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/11/audio-photo-gallery-from-the-enquirer/#comments Tue, 28 Nov 2006 17:57:54 +0000 billh http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/?p=28 Audio photo gallery: Habitat for Humanity

The Enquirer put together a great audio photo gallery of the house dedications for Brandi Moon and Mike and Darlene Rutledge. Click on the link above and see if you agree.

]]> http://www.millcreekvalleyhfh.org/2006/11/audio-photo-gallery-from-the-enquirer/feed/ 0