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Sabrina Pourmand
(650) 568-7337
spourmand@peninsula
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Partnerships Spotlight
Congress Building America
Peninsula Habitat for Humanity, U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos Joined Forces At April 20 Congress Building America Event
Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and more than 50 community representatives kicked-off Peninsula Habitat for Humanity's four-day Congress Building America event at a press conference in Daly City Thursday, April 20.
Launched in 2003, Congress Building America connects members of Congress with local Habitat for Humanity affiliates to build simple homes for low-income families. Congress Building America designated Peninsula Habitat for Humanity's four-home, De Long Street development in Daly City as one of two 2006 West Coast projects.
Peninsula Habitat for Humanity, Congress Building America and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBank San Francisco) jointly hosted the four building days to celebrate the construction of Peninsula Habitat for Humanity's 100th home and the affordable housing achievements of the 109th Congress (2005-2006).
"I tip my hat to Habitat for Humanity and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco for working together to create homeownership opportunities for working families throughout the 12th Congressional District," said Rep. Lantos in his keynote address at the press conference. "Their effort is particularly significant since the median home price on the Peninsula is over $850,000 ... These types of projects make homeownership a reality for more families and individuals."
In addition to Rep. Lantos, San Mateo County Supervisors Jerry Hill, Mark Church, and Richard Gordon; Bay Area Rapid Transit Director Tom Radulovich; Daly City Vice Mayor, Sal Torres; and Ross Kari, chief operating officer from FHLBank San Francisco, spoke of the Bay Area's great need for affordable housing, and commended Peninsula Habitat for Humanity for its efforts to provide low-income families in local communities like Daly City with homes of their own.
San Mateo County Supervisor Jerry Hill said that stable housing brings many benefits to families and commended Peninsula Habitat for Humanity for turning people's dreams into a reality. "We want all families in our community to achieve success, and homeownership provides a solid foundation on which to build a family," said Hill. "Thanks to the efforts of Habitat for Humanity, families that would not otherwise be able to achieve homeownership will now have an opportunity to do so."
Following the press conference, staff from U.S. Senators Boxer and Feinstein's offices, U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos' office, California Assemblymen Mullin and Yee's offices, and 30 employees of FHLBank San Francisco rolled up their sleeves and spent a day building four new affordable homes.
The FHLBank San Francisco sponsored the event, and contributed a $48,000 Affordable Housing Program grant to the project through Greater Bay Bank, an FHLBank member. Other Bay Area organizations that underwrote the event include Congress Building America, Universal Paragon Corporation, First Horizon Home Loans, CHS Development Group, and Cathay Bank.
"We are truly proud of our work with Habitat for Humanity and look forward to many more years of building homes for families throughout the country," said Ross Kari, executive vice president and chief operating officer of FHLBank San Francisco. "When you open the door to your first home, you are opening the door to the American Dream."
Four Daly City families will open the door to the American Dream when Peninsula Habitat for Humanity and the community dedicate their homes June 3.
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