Brian Ching announced today, in a packed press conference, that he will begin raising $65,000 to build a home for a hard-working, low-income Houston family.

Ching is partnering with Houston Habitat for Humanity and Dynamo Charities on this important project. The groups hope to raise the money in time to begin building the home in April 2010.

“I met the people from Houston Habitat for Humanity about a year ago when I did a public service announcement at one of their build sites,” Ching said. “I was lucky enough to have Stephen (Sye) show me around and it really touched me, the impact that they were having on these families. These families are hard-working, deserving families that find it hard at times and they just need a little bit of  help. That’s where I think that Houston Habitat has done a great job in reaching out to these families and giving them a little help along the way.”

Ching has made the initial donation to jumpstart the fund-raising. Once built, the house will be easily recognizable as it will feature an orange front door to match the Dynamo’s primary color. The back yard will feature a mini-soccer field and one room inside the house will be “Dynamized.”

“I feel that the community of Houston has given me so much,” Ching said. “This is my opportunity to give back, to give to the community and to help people out. In order to raise the $65,000 that we need to build to one of these houses, I am asking all Houstonians, not just Houston Dynamo fans, but all Houstonians to donate a little bit of money. A little bit goes a long way. I want everyone who donates to feel an ownership in this process and to fell like that they are helping their community and helping these families to live a better life and to get what they deserve which is affordable housing.”

Thousands of low-income Houston families live in substandard or overcrowded housing. Roughly 650,000 Texans have “worst-case housing needs”— living in severely inadequate housing or paying more than 50 percent of their income on housing. Current economic conditions, the tightening of mortgage markets and the decline in new home construction have forced more families to rent, thus pushing up rental property rates and creating crushing economic pressures on the families who can least afford it.

“I’m looking forward to that day when we raise the walls to this house and I watch a deserving family walk through that door and see how this process is going to change their lives,” Ching said.