Visit The Fuller Center for Housing Website
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At the age of 30 Millard Fuller was a self-made millionaire. He says he was proud to say he could give his wife everything any woman could want. He says he gave her a beautiful house, got her a Lincoln Continental to drive, ten horses to ride, two speed boats, a cabin near the lake, and two thousand acres of land. Fuller said his wife had everything but a husband.
On the verge of divorce, fuller and his wife sold almost everything they had and began building low income homes. They founded Habitat for Humanity - a non-profit faith based organization going strong worldwide - including here in Fresno.
Under Millard Fuller's direction, thousands of families moved into their own homes with no interest to pay. But in 2005 allegations of sexual harassment surfaced and Fuller was terminated.
Habitat for Humanity cited "a pattern of ongoing public comments and communications that were divisive and disruptive." Fuller says otherwise. He says the reason for the firing was a difference in philosophy of how the organization should go forward. Fuller says he wanted to run it more as a ministry, the Habitat for Humanity board wanted to run it more as a corporate bureaucracy.
Millard Fuller is again building low income homes worldwide through the Fuller Center for Housing. The Fresno Habitat for Humanity Executive Director would not comment on Fuller's firing or his entrance into the local low income housing market. But Fuller says he's not trying to compete with his former ministry.
Fuller says when more people are involved in something, more people are supporting it, more people are making donations. It's conceivable that the Fuller Center being here, Habitat may end up getting more money."
Fuller and his former non-profit organization agree on one thing, there will always be a need for affordable housing.
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Visit The Fuller Center for Housing Website
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