Fired Habitat founder forms similarly named ministry in same city Building Habitat "not intended to compete": Building Habitat "not intended to compete"

Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller, who was fired in January from his house-building organization, has announced a new housing ministry to be located in the same city, Americus, Georgia.

Although Fuller says his similarly named group, Building Habitat, is “not intended to compete” with Habitat for Humanity, officials of the world-renowned ministry expressed concern that many donors and volunteers will be confused.

In a statement April 18, Fuller said “we seek to be a companion to it and to similar organizations that are working to eliminate poverty housing.” Fuller added that his new group “would raise money to help local organizations build more houses.”

Fuller, 70, and his wife, Linda, were fired after “several months of differences” with the Habitat board. Some of those differences related to alleged inappropriate conduct by Millard Fuller with a now-former female employee. Fuller denied any wrongdoing.

Supporting the Fullers was David Snell, who earlier helped to start a group urging the Habitat for Humanity board to reconsider the firing. That plea was rejected in early March. Speaking last month as a board member of Building Habitat, Snell backed Fuller in asserting that the two organizations would complement one another—“both paths lead to the same place.”

Habitat for Humanity officials disagreed. Chris Clarke, a spokesman for Habitat for Humanity, said in an interview that the organization’s lawyer had stated its concerns in a letter to Fuller and an officer of the new organization. –Religion News Service