National Homeownership Month, 2003

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7685 of June 13, 2003

National Homeownership Month, 2003

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Homeownership is more than just a symbol of the
American Dream; it is an important part of our way of
life. Core American values of individuality, thrift,
responsibility, and self-reliance are embodied in
homeownership. I am committed to helping more families
know the security and sense of pride that comes with
owning a home.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is
leading an Administration-wide effort to bring new
tools and resources to would-be homeowners. We are
providing financial assistance to qualified families
through the American Dream Downpayment Fund, funding
educational programs that stress financial literacy,
and offering a compassionate hand to those who dream of
moving from subsidized housing into homeownership. And
through the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity
Program, my Administration partners with nonprofit
organizations that offer homeownership opportunities to
families willing to contribute their skills and labor
to help build a home of their own. We are also
proposing ways to make it easier to shop for a mortgage
and to make mortgages available to more families
through the Federal Housing Administration.

Today, the United States is fortunate in that our
homeownership rate is at an all-time high, and low
interest rates continue to encourage millions of
Americans to become first-time homeowners. Although a
record number of Americans own their own homes, we
continue to see a gap between the homeownership rates
of minorities and nonminorities. By a significant
margin, minority families are less likely to own their
own homes. Therefore, I have called upon the entire
housing industry to join with my Administration to
expand minority homeownership across the Nation. Our
goal is to help at least 5.5 million minority families
become homeowners by the end of this decade, and our
Blueprint for the American Dream Partnership is taking
bold steps to make this a reality.

Across our Nation, every citizen, regardless of race,
creed, color, or place of birth, should have the
opportunity to become a homeowner. Homeownership
represents a pathway to pride and prosperity for many
families, encourages values of responsibility and
sacrifice, creates stability for neighborhoods and
communities, and generates economic growth that helps
strengthen the entire Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim June 2003 as National
Homeownership Month. I call upon the people of the
United States to join me in recognizing the importance
of offering every American the opportunity to realize
their dream of homeownership and to help work towards
making that dream a reality.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two
thousand three, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.

(Presidential Sig.)B