Millard and Linda Fuller: Making Housing Affordable

The founders of Habitat for Humanity are now with the Fuller Center for Housing, as they stay true to their original vision.

Husband-and-wife team Millard and Linda Fuller work together to achieve their goal to "eradicate poverty housing," one home at a time. Courtesy of the Fuller Center for Housing

Habitat for Humanity is the world’s largest nonprofit housing organization. In 2023 alone, it helped more than 13 million people build or improve their homes.

But like many big things, Habitat had humble beginnings. Its cofounder Millard Fuller traced its origins to his early days as a businessman in Montgomery, Alabama, when he once “engaged a house-moving gang” to help a janitor’s family. “We jacked that house up, put it on a truck, and rolled off down the road. ... I recall vividly what a great joy it was to see them happily living in a decent place.”

Meeting Linda

Fuller acquired a taste for business when he was only 6 years old. His father, a poor grocer, bought him a pig. After Millard fattened him and sold him for a profit, he expanded to chickens and rabbits, then firecrackers.