Building a better world, one house at a time

What is The Fuller Center? Where and when did this begin? What is Partnership Housing? Is The Fuller Center a Christian ministry?

What is The Fuller Center? Founded in 2005 by Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Millard Fuller and wife Linda, The Fuller Center for Housing builds and repairs homes in partnership with families who need a hand UP, not a handout. We work through locally run, independent covenant partners Fuller Center founders Linda and Millard Fuller also founded Habitat for Humanity. in the U.S. and around the world.

Where & when did this begin? Millard and Linda learned the concept of partnership housing from Christian scholar and theologian Clarence Jordan at Georgia's Koinonia Farm in the 1960s. The “Cotton Patch Gospel” author said, “What the poor need isn't charity, it's capital.” The Fullers employed this philosophy as they launched the world's modern affordable housing movement.

What is partnership housing? “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) Fuller Center homeowners are full partners in the building process as they contribute hundreds of hours of sweat equity and then make zero-percent-interest mortgage payments into a revolving Fund for Humanity to help others become homeowners. This allows them the greater blessing of becoming givers themselves.

Are we a Christian ministry? YES! We are unashamedly Christian and enthusiastically ecumenical! The Fuller Center is not a church, but we are a servant to the church, offering an opportunity to put Jesus’ teachings into action. Though we are a Christian ministry, we welcome those of all faiths and even no faith if they share our belief that everyone ought to have a simple and decent place to live.

PROGRAMS New house construction Greater Blessing repairs Save a House/Make a Home Global Builders U.S. Builders Student Builders Faith Builders Millard Fuller Legacy Build Bicycle Adventure

New house construction Our covenant partners rely on the hard work of volunteers and use donated materials to help keep building costs low. We build simple, decent homes in ways that are energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

Greater Blessing projects For some smaller repair jobs (such as building a wheelchair ramp or fixing a roof), we do not require a mortgage. Instead, homeowner partners are asked to repay the costs of home repairs as they are able. Much of this work is for the elderly and disabled. Much of The Fuller Center’s work in the United States consists of Greater Blessing repair projects.

Save a House/Make a Home It makes no sense for America to have more than 18 million vacant homes while more than 6 million families live in substandard housing. So, we developed this initiative to take donated properties from banks and investors and restore as decent homes for families once again.

Global Builders Global Builders are teams of people — sometimes strangers but most often church and other groups — who travel to places like Haiti, Armenia, Peru, El Salvador, Ghana, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka to work for a week and experience the world off the beaten tourist path as they change lives by building homes.

U.S. Builders For those who prefer to do their charity work at home or would rather travel domestically, we have dozens of covenant partners across the nation that welcome volunteer groups to help build and repair homes. No passports and no visas needed — and it’s a great way to help people and see the real America.

Faith Builders As a servant to the church, one way The Fuller Center can serve is to help congregations who want to add a housing outreach component to their ministry. We partner with churches even where there is no local Fuller Center covenant partner.

Millard Fuller Legacy Build Every year, hundreds of volunteers gather to build or repair homes for a week in memory of our founder. While one community serves as the Legacy Build host, other covenant partners around the world also strive to dedicate homes during this week.

Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure For one week during the spring and several weeks during the summer, cyclists ride across America, raising money for The Fuller Center and awareness about our ministry. This program has become our single biggest fundraiser — and has attracted lifelong volunteers and generated new covenant partners.

YOU are the key to our success! We do not build with government funds, so your donations and private contributions make this ministry and our work possible. Volunteer — at home or abroad. Visit FullerCenter.org, friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @TheFullerCenter. Start a covenant partner in your community or a Faith Builder partner in your church. Pray for our ministry as we build upon God’s love around the world. Difreth and his family moved out of a shack of mud and sticks and into a safe Fuller Center home in Peru.