Housing Group Fires Its Founder

Habitat for Humanity’s staff, volunteers divided by departure of charity’s leader

For nearly 30 years, Habitat for Humanity has called on people to pick up hammers and help construct homes for the poor. But this month, an ad hoc group of Habitat volunteers calling themselves the Habitat Partners urged home builders to briefly suspend their construction efforts to protest the firing of Habitat’s founder and president, Millard Fuller, and his wife, Linda, who was let go from her untitled, salaried position.

“We broke from work, put down our hammers, formed a circle, and prayed,” says Jim Killoran, director of Habitat for Humanity’s affiliate in Westchester, N.Y. “Everybody then went back to work harder in honor of the Fullers.”

Millard Fuller was fired last month by the executive committee of Habitat for Humanity International’s board following a nearly year-long investigation into allegations that he had engaged in inappropriate conduct with a female former employee during a 2003 car trip.

While the board said it found “insufficient evidence” to back up the allegations, it explained in a statement that it had fired the Fullers for their unwillingness to keep silent about the matter and their decision to engage in “ongoing public comments and communications” that were “divisive and disruptive to the organization’s work.”

Habitat for Humanity International is one of the nation’s biggest charities. It raised more than $418-million last year and ranked No. 18 on The Chronicle’s most recent ranking of the 400 charities that have raised the most money (The Chronicle, October 28). It has 2,100 affiliates in more than 100 countries.

‘Draconian Action’

The firings followed several months in which Mr. Fuller served the charity in an advisory role as president after he stepped down as chief executive officer last fall. Paul Leonard, a retired businessman and Presbyterian minister, will continue to serve as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is selected.

Mr. Fuller, who denies any wrongdoing, says he is “distressed and disappointed” by the “draconian action” of his dismissal and is seeking reinstatement.

“To throw out of Habitat the person who started it is very unwise,” he says. “The affiliates are rising to my defense.”

Supporters of the Fullers are not certain how many Habitat volunteers heeded the call to protest the firings with a brief work stoppage, saying only that “several” affiliates participated across the country.

The action was promoted on a Web site, http://www.habitatpartnersunite.com, the Habitat Partners established. The site includes a petition urging Habitat for Humanity to reinstate the Fullers. More than 1,600 names from people in more than 20 countries had been placed on the petition by last week.

Some of those who signed the petition said that they are Habitat donors or volunteers who will no longer assist the group unless the Fullers are reinstated. But Mr. Killoran is quick to stress that the protest is not intended to “harm Habitat in any way” or to promote the creation of a rival home-building group.

“It’s a vehicle for communication and prayer,” he says of the site, where the message-board section also contains commentary critical of the Fullers. “I feel there’s going to be a positive resolution, that people on all levels are rethinking things, and that we’re playing a part.”

But while the charismatic Mr. Fuller draws widespread applause for creating the home-building charity in 1976, and leading it for years, many associated with the group say they support the board’s decision.

Roland Lewis, executive director of Habitat for Humanity’s New York City affiliate, calls Mr. Fuller “a personal hero” and says he is “deeply saddened” by the firing. Nevertheless, he says, “I know enough people on the board that I trust that the deliberation was thorough and fair throughout the process.”

Mr. Lewis says he still hopes the charity can find a way “for Millard to be of service to the organization.” But, “the bottom line is that Habitat is larger than one man. The mission is to eradicate substandard housing in the world, and we’ll continue to do that.”

‘Not Affecting’ Decisions

Mr. Leonard, Habitat’s interim CEO, says he is not surprised by the Habitat Partners’ organized opposition to Mr. Fuller’s firing and expects the efforts will “go on for a while.”

“They are not affecting our decision making,” he says. “We are also getting a lot of positive comments from affiliates and others thinking the board did the right thing.”

He says the organization has not seen much of an impact on donations from the decision so far, but he acknowledges that fund raising could suffer in the short term. He says the decision to end formal ties with the Fullers was necessary for the group’s long-term health. And major donors, he says, have been “kept informed” throughout the leadership conflict and their support has not wavered.

“The need for housing is greater now than ever and the people at the heart of this important mission know this,” Mr. Leonard says.

The former president Jimmy Carter, a longtime Habitat volunteer and supporter who was first recruited to the cause by Mr. Fuller, had earlier helped mediate discussions between Mr. Fuller and the board. As of last week, he had not spoken publicly about the firing. But he has agreed to serve as honorary chairman of the committee to find a new chief executive.

Mr. Fuller says Mr. Carter told him at a recent meeting that he was “willing to get back involved” in the dispute but that “the other side was not willing to negotiate.”

Mr. Carter did not respond to The Chronicle’s requests for comment.

While Mr. Leonard would not comment on Mr. Carter’s role in the dispute, he said in a statement that there was “no indication that there will be a reopening of the issue between the Fullers and the board.”

Long History

While some associated with Habitat were surprised by the board’s action, others saw it coming.

“The conflict between the board and Millard Fuller is not a year old — it’s really 10 years old,” says David Snell, secretary of the board of Habitat for Humanity Colorado and a Habitat Partners organizer.

He says the strains were evident when he was working in Habitat’s Americus, Ga., headquarters as director of education ministries through much of the 1990s.

“There was a movement to start engaging board members who had some ‘juice’ — people who were powerful in different fields and well connected,” he says.

Mr. Fuller has for years criticized such steps, raising concern that they would weaken the effectiveness of the organization.

“I’ve always seen Habitat for Humanity as a movement,” says Mr. Fuller. “There’s a certain mentality on the board now that wants to change it into an organizational bureaucracy.”

Mr. Fuller, who turned 70 last month, adds that he has no interest in reassuming Habitat’s managerial duties, but only wants to “continue to tell the Habitat story all over the world and help to raise money.”

Mr. Leonard says Mr. Fuller “has a great presence with people.” He adds: “Maybe one day down the road we could get him back to that role, though I don’t see him coming back as an employee of Habitat.”