Donning tool belts and swinging hammers, Mayors worked on a Habitat for Humanity house sponsored by Freddie Mac on Friday right at the beginning of the New Orleans Annual Meeting.

Saul Ramirez, HUD deputy secretary, and HUD Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing joined the mayors in the build. Host Mayor Marc Morial also participated and said of the Mayors working on the house: "Mayors can do anything because Mayors can do everything."

Freddie Mac, one of the largest buyers of home mortgages in the United States sponsored the New Orleans home. "Freddie Mac is proud to work with the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Habitat for Humanity and HUD to demonstrate how partnerships can help build affordable housing and strengthen communities," said Dwight Robinson, Vice President of Industry Relations at Freddie Mac.

During a ceremony before the raising of the last two walls of the house, Conference President Mayor Deedee Corradini said: "On behalf of the Conference of Mayors, I would like to thank the International Habitat for Humanity, The New Orleans Habitat for Humanity, Freddie Mac, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Mayor Marc Morial and the City of New Orleans for joining us in cosponsoring today’s Habitat for Humanity Home Construction.

This is the third year that we have built a home for a family in the host city of our annual meeting. The first was in Cleveland, and last year we built a home in Reno.

We have found this to be a wonderful way to start our annual meeting. It symbolizes what mayors are all about -- on the front line helping our citizens to improve their neighborhoods as well as their lives.

Housing needs are at the top of the list for cities. As we celebrate National Homeownership Week, let us recommit ourselves to provide every American family a safe and decent home.

Finally, congratulations to Gregory and Valencia Kelly and their four children on their new home that we are building here today."

The Habitat build is part of a national effort, National Homeownership Week, which is being celebrated June 5-12. The National Partners in Homeownership, an unprecedented public-private partnership working to dramatically increase American homeownership, sponsors national Homeownership Week. Freddie Mac, Habitat for Humanity International, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are among the 66 organizations that form the Partnership.

Robinson Introduces Build Video