The Fuller Center for Housing

The Fuller Center for Housing (FCH) is an ecumenical Christian, 501(c)3 non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Americus, Georgia that builds and repairs homes for low-income families and individuals. It is active in 60 U.S. cities and 16 countries outside the U.S.

The Fuller Center was started in 2005 by Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Millard Fuller and his wife Linda Caldwell Fuller, founders of Habitat for Humanity, at an intentional Christian community called Koinonia Farm in rural southwest Georgia. After spending 29 years of service in the Christian housing ministry at Habitat, and being fired for philosophical differences by the Habitat for Humanity executive committee, the Fullers were motivated to continue expanding their vision of eliminating substandard housing worldwide. The inaugural meeting of The Fuller Center at Koinonia, also Habitat's birthplace, established this new mission: "The Fuller Center for Housing, faith- driven and Christ-centered, promotes collaborative and innovative partnerships with individuals and organizations in an unrelenting quest to provide adequate shelter for all people in need worldwide."

The Fuller Center accomplishes its work by creating partnerships that bring together churches, schools, businesses and civic organizations to build simple, decent, affordable homes for people who are unable to secure adequate housing by conventional means. Most fundamental to the organization's overall functioning are partnerships with covenant partners, local organizations that sign an agreement with The Fuller Center to build or renovate houses for families in need in a particular area.

Covenant partners are governed by local board members who are in charge of family selection and counseling, fundraising, training, managing mortgages, organizing volunteers, finding skilled labor and spreading the word. The Fuller Center for Housing headquarters in Americus, Georgia, provides publications, general support, promotional materials, training for board members and – whenever possible – fundraising assistance.

All homeowners work hand-in-hand with volunteers to build their own homes, which are then sold to them on terms they can afford, based on the Biblical idea of no-profit, no-interest loans. With some smaller renovation projects, an innovative payment program called The Greater Blessing Program is utilized, whereby recipients promise to repay the loan amount without signing an actual mortgage agreement. They decide the monthly amount they can afford to repay and the period of time that it will take to repay the cost of repairs. There is no legal obligation to repay these loans. Payments made by homeowners are put toward future Greater Blessing housing projects.

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