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INTRO: Linda and Millard Fuller are the founders of The Fuller Center for Housing. In the 1960s, Millard achieved his dream of becoming a millionaire, but the riches only led to misery and nearly tore apart his marriage. He and Linda gave all their riches away and dedicated the rest of their lives to serving God. They founded Habitat for Humanity in 1976 and after being pushed out of Habitat in 2005, they founded The Fuller Center as a return to the grass-roots, Christian principles with which they first started the affordable housing movement.

After giving away their riches, Millard and Linda took a vacation and stopped by to see some friends at an intentional Christian community called Koinonia Farm in Sumter County, Georgia. They wound up staying and becoming members of the community, where they learned the principles of partnership (including partnership housing) from farm leader and Christian theologian Clarence Jordan.

In 1973, Millard and Linda packed up everything, including their four children, and moved to the heart of the African Congo, where they built 114 houses in three years — many of which are still inhabited by descendants of the original owners, and even some of the original owners themselves.

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Millard and Linda Fuller pictured on a roof in Zaire in 1975. It's now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and we still work there today. A year later, after proving that partnership housing could flourish in the most difficult of places, Millard and Linda returned to the United States and started Habitat for Humanity. From 1973 to 1976, they helped build 114 houses there. They are considered the nicest homes there, and many are still occupied by their original owners or descendants.

PRINCIPLES: Next to staying true to our Christian faith, the most important principle is partnership. Families contribute sweat equity in the building of their homes and pay zero-percent-interest, no-profit-made, affordable mortgages that go into a Fund for Humanity to help others in their local communities have simple, decent homes. Pictured here is Americus homeowner Thad Harris, who was required to contribute 350 sweat equity hours in the building of his home. He put in more than 500 and now serves on the Americus board and serves as a local construction leader.

WHERE IT BEGAN: Our first U.S. builds were in Shreveport's Allendale neighborhood, an area so blighted and crime-ridden that city officials discouraged us from working there. That cemented it for Millard — he DEFINITELY was going to work there.

TRANSFORMATION: More than 45 new homes later, the crime rate in Allendale is down 80 percent from 2005 levels.

TRANSFORMATION: In the Fountain Square neighborhood of Indianapolis, crime is down 40 percent since the Millard Fuller Legacy Build was held their in 2010. The transformation has been accomplished by a mix of new home builds and rehabs.

TRANSFORMATION: When the Fuller Center of Louisville was ready to launch, it asked city officials where the worst residential area of Louisville was. They told them Boston Court, in the West End of town. The Fuller Center of Louisville transformed Boston Court and dozens of other homes in the West End of Louisville mostly through the Save a House/Make a Home program, which takes vacant and abandoned properties and turns them into like-new homes for families in need.

TRANSFORMATION: The Fuller Center has taken children and families in Haiti out of tents ...

TRANSFORMATION: The Fuller Center has taken children and families in Haiti out of tents ... and put them into beautiful new homes like these. This is the Lambi Community, a clean, thriving, happy community of colorful duplexes west of Port-au-Prince, where our volunteers have built 56 homes. The Lambi village is complete, and we are now working east of Port-au-Prince in Croix-des-Bouquets and in the northern part of Haiti in Pignon.

TRANSFORMATION: In 18 countries (and counting), we're moving people out of shacks like this one in Nicaragua ...

TRANSFORMATION: .... and moving them into simple, decent new homes like this one in Nicaragua. It's safe, healthy, sturdy and affordable. And they love it.

Speaking of Nicaragua, meet Manuel and Cyndi, who live in the first Fuller Center home we built in Las Penitas, Nicaragua, a couple of years ago. When we asked what they liked about it, they said, "It has walls and a door!" Just imagine how we take such things for granted.

PROGRAMS: Our U.S. Builders program sends teams of church groups, civic groups and Student Builders into communities for a week to help U.S. covenant partners get their work done.

PROGRAMS: Here you see Thad Harris "jumping" for joy along with some Student Builders from Ohio State University. His joy is contagious and getting to know the people in the communities they serv is very important to these kids.

PROGRAMS: Our Global Builders teams see the world off the beaten tourist path and get to work alongside wonderful families while immersing themselves in other cultures.

PROGRAMS: The Save a House/Make a Home initiative takes vacant properties like this ...

PROGRAMS: ... and turns them into like-new homes like this. Families own these homes with rates that are even more affordable than new homes. It also benefits communities as these homes are no longer eyesores, and the families become contributing taxpayers and givers.

PROGRAMS: The Greater Blessing program. Through this, we make minor home repairs, usually $2,500 or less, mainly for elderly and disabled homeowners. They are asked to pay back the costs of the materials on terms they can afford but are not obligated to do so. This is our top program in the United States.

PROGRAMS: The Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure crosses the country each summer and has a weeklong spring ride and weekend fall ride to raise money and awareness for The Fuller Center's work. Since 2007, they've raised more than $1 million.

PROGRAMS: The Millard Fuller Legacy Build, a weeklong building blitz to honor the legacy of Millard Fuller. The 2015 10th anniversary build will be in Shreveport's Allendale neighborhood, where this all began in 2005.

WE ARE ENTHUSIASTICALLY ECUMENICAL — religiously and politically. We welcome everyone who shares our vision of extending a hand-up to people in need of decent homes. On the left is Democratic former President Jimmy Carter and on the right is Jeff Cardwell, leader of Indiana's Republican Party. Both support our work. Few organizations have people from the left, right and center working together for a common goal. Perhaps it's because no one is against helping people help themselves.

OUR INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: If you want to know if a nonprofit is doing what they're supposed to, sometimes a look at their headquarters will give you a clue. Our international headquarters is a former Chinese restaurant that was given to The Fuller Center. We like it. It's cozy and quaint. But it's hardly ostentatious. We use donations wisely and put as much as possible directly to work building and repairing homes with families in need.