IV

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 147

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the House of

Representatives should participate in and support activities to provide

decent homes for the people of the United States, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 13, 1997

Mr. LEWIS of California (for himself, Mr. GINGRICH, Mr. GEPHARDT, Mr.

STOKES, Mr. LAZIO of New York, Mr. KENNEDY of Massachusetts, and

Ms. NORTON) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to

the Committee on Banking and Financial Services

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that

the House of Representatives should participate in and

support activities to provide decent homes for the people

of the United States, and for other purposes.

Whereas the United States promotes and encourages the creation and revitalization of sustainable and strong neighborhoods in partnership with States, cities, and local

communities and in conjunction with the independent and

collective actions of private citizens and organizations;

Whereas establishing a housing infrastructure strengthens

neighborhoods and local economies and nurtures the families who reside in them;
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Whereas an integral element of a strong community is a sufficient supply of affordable housing;

Whereas such housing can be provided in traditional and

nontraditional forms, including apartment buildings,

transitional and temporary homes, condominiums, cooperatives, and single family homes;

Whereas for many families a home is not merely shelter, but

also provides an opportunity for growth, prosperity, and

security;

Whereas homeownership is a cornerstone of the national

economy because it spurs the production and sale of

goods and services, generates new jobs, encourages savings and investment, promotes economic and civic responsibility, and enhances the financial security of all people

in the United States;

Whereas the United States is the first country in the world

to make owning a home a reality for a vast majority of

its families; however, more than one-third of the families

in the United States are not homeowners;

Whereas a disproportionate percentage of non-homeowning

families in the United States are low-income families;

Whereas the National Partners in Homeownership, a publicprivate partnership comprised of 63 national organizations under the leadership of the Department of Housing

and Urban Development, has established a goal of reaching an all-time high homeownership level in the United

States by the end of the 20th century;

Whereas there are many other nonprofit and for-profit organizations that, in partnership with the Federal Government and local governments, strive to make the American
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dream of homeownership a reality for low-income families;

Whereas national organizations such as the Fannie Mae

Foundation, Freddie Mac, the Local Initiatives Support

Corporation, the Enterprise Foundation, the Housing Assistance Council, and the Neighborhood Reinvestment

Corporation, in conjunction with local organizations, have

developed thousands of homes each year for low-income

families and have, in the process, reduced urban decay

and blight and fostered business activity;

Whereas the community building activities of neighborhoodbased nonprofit organizations empower individuals to improve their lives and make communities safer and

healthier for families;

Whereas one of the best known nonprofit housing organizations is Habitat for Humanity, which builds simple but

adequate housing for less fortunate families and symbolizes the self-help approach to homeownership;

Whereas Habitat for Humanity provides opportunities for

people from every segment of society to volunteer to help

make the American dream a reality for families who otherwise would not own a home; and

Whereas the second week of June 1997 is National Homeownership Week: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that—

3 (1) everyone in the United States should have

4 a decent home in which to live;
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1 (2) the Members of the House of Representa2 tives should demonstrate the importance of vol3 unteerism;

4 (3) the Members of the House of Representa5 tives and Habitat for Humanity, with support from

6 the National Partners in Homeownership, should

7 sponsor and construct, commencing on June 5,

8 1997, two homes in the Anacostia neighborhood of

9 the District of Columbia, each to be known as a

10 ‘‘House That Congress Built’’;

11 (4) each ‘‘House That Congress Built’’ should

12 be constructed primarily by Members of the House

13 of Representatives and their families and staffs, in14 volving and symbolizing the partnership of the pub15 lic, private, and nonprofit sectors of society;

16 (5) each ‘‘House That Congress Built’’ should

17 be constructed with the participation of the family

18 that will own the home;

19 (6) upon completion and initial occupancy of

20 the homes in the fall of 1997, the Members of the

21 House of Representatives, their families and staffs,

22 and local and national leaders from the public and

23 private nonprofit sectors of society should partici24 pate, together with each family that will own a
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1 ‘‘House That Congress Built’’, in an event to cele2 brate the occasion;

3 (7) in the future, the Members of the House of

4 Representatives and their families and staff should

5 participate in similar house building activities of

6 Habitat for Humanity in their own districts as part

7 of National Homeownership Week; and

8 (8) these occasions should be used to emphasize

9 and focus on the importance of providing decent

10 homes for all of the people in the United States.

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