38 Houston Families Partner to Build 38 New Affordable Homes During 38 Days before the Super Bowl.

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HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 2003

Houston Habitat for Humanity 

-- NFL(R) Joins Habitat for Humanity SuperBUILD XXXVIII

-- Need for Affordable Housing Called a "Crisis"

At a news conference today in Houston, the Houston affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International announced plans to build 38 affordable homes in two area neighborhoods in a 38-day event dubbed "SuperBUILD XXXVIII."

Officially sanctioned by the National Football League as a Super Bowl XXXVIII event, SuperBUILD will deploy an estimated 2,500 volunteers during the period just before Christmas through Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 1, 2004, to construct new homes in two subdivisions just north of the city.

SuperBUILD XXXVIII "Co-Captains" Brian Binash, president of Emerald Homes, and Antoinette (Toni) M. Jackson, an attorney with Coats, Rose, Yale, Ryman & Lee, also announced that Houston Habitat for Humanity has already reached the $1 million mark in contributions toward the SuperBUILD. "While we still have roughly $2 million to go, it is astounding that the Houston community stepped up in just 30 days with contributions ranging from $10,000 to $100,000 to help launch construction," said Binash. "We are frankly awed by the leadership and generosity of companies such as Burlington Resources, Baker Hughes, Emerald Homes, and many others. This city is known for its generosity, which is demonstrated over and over again in the form of both human and financial capital, and the relationship with the NFL and Super Bowl XXXVIII provides an opportunity to showcase what's really great about Houston," he added.

Since 1987, Houston Habitat for Humanity, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, has built more than 400 new, affordable homes in partnership with hard-working, motivated people who lack the means to qualify for conventional or government-backed mortgages. Homebuyers are selected based on their level of need, their willingness to contribute "sweat equity" toward the construction of their own and their neighbors' homes, and their ability to repay a zero-interest loan for the exact cost of their home. Mortgage payments are deposited into a revolving fund for future loans, and public and private sector contributions help defray land acquisition and construction costs, thereby reducing the overall price of a Habitat house, making it more "affordable."

"Our homebuyers are a special group," said Jackson. "They are families who have been shut out of the system. They are self-sufficient and eager for their children to grow up in a decent house in a neighborhood they can be proud of. Habitat for Humanity and the thousands of volunteers who team up with the families form a bond that often lasts well beyond final completion of a house," she added.

Burlington Resources Chairman, President and CEO Bobby Shackouls joined Binash and Jackson at the podium to describe why his company has committed $1.2 million to Habitat for Humanity International to build homes in five cities in which Burlington has offices or operations. "It's our experience that the Habitat program offers as much to the volunteers as it does to the new homeowners. That is what inspired us to step forward once again as a primary sponsor of SuperBUILD XXXVIII," said Shackouls. "The chance to help build 38 homes all at once -- in effect, to help build a community, while raising the visibility of Houston in the eyes of the world -- was an opportunity we simply could not pass up," he added.

Although one or more sites may be added to SuperBUILD, currently, Wood Glen Subdivision, located just east of Eastex Freeway and Tidwell Rd., and Greensbrook, located just inside the northeast corner of Beltway 8 in Harris County, are slated for homesites.

Jackson noted that one in 10 working families in Houston lack decent housing they can afford. "When you consider the fact that Houston is one of the most affordable cities in the country, it is a shame that we are actually behind other cities in the available affordable housing. Studies have shown us that if we build single-family and multi-family affordable housing aggressively until 2020, we'll still be behind the curve," she said.

"When 10 percent of hardworking, productive Houstonians either live in housing they can't afford or in overcrowded or substandard conditions, we must come together and address the problem," Jackson added.

U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee, whose district includes the Wood Glen Subdivision, a designated SuperBUILD XXXVIII site, called upon local government officials to make affordable housing a priority. "We have done so much, yet there is so much to do," said Congresswoman Jackson-Lee. "I call upon my colleagues in city, county and state government to step up their efforts to support public policies that say every American deserves a decent place to live," she added.

Since 1987, Houston Habitat for Humanity, an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, has built more than 450 homes with the collaboration of the nonprofit, public, faith-based and private sectors. Its mission is to eliminate substandard housing in the Houston area.

Habitat for Humanity International is an ecumenical Christian ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty housing. Founded by Millard Fuller, along with his wife, Linda, Habitat for Humanity International and its affiliates in more than 3,000 communities in 89 nations have built and sold more than 150,000 homes to partner families with no-profit, zero-interest mortgages. For more information about Habitat for Humanity International, log onto www.habitat.org.