Habitat For Humanity

How We Support Habitat for Humanity

Morgan James Publishing’s founder, David L. Hancock, recognizes that Millions of Americans face a housing crisis. In fact, 5.1 million American families have “worst-case” housing needs, forced to pay more than half their income for housing, endure overcrowded conditions and/or live in houses with severe physical deficiencies. While the number of families in poverty is growing, the number of affordable rental units is shrinking, and most families who qualify for government housing assistance aren’t receiving any aid.

Worldwide, the need is even greater. Some 2 billion people worldwide live in poverty housing. More than 1 billion live in urban slums, and that figure is expected to double by 2030. Many of these people earn less than US$2 per day.

Housing problems have far-reaching consequences. The high cost of housing leaves low-income families little money for other basic necessities like food, clothing or health care. Substandard housing can endanger the health and safety of its occupants, erode their hope and self-worth, and impair their children’s ability to succeed in school.

Habitat for Humanity is changing lives. Working in partnership with low-income families to build decent homes they can afford to buy, Habitat helps to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness. At the end of 2005, more than 1 million people worldwide will live in decent, affordable Habitat for Humanity houses.

In this unique program, Morgan James Publishing is committing to the following and is challenging others to do similarly:

1. Financial support – Morgan James Publishing is donating a percentage of all book sales on a monthly basis from our Global (US/UK/CA) efforts under the Habitat for Humanity Peninsula Building Partner Program for the life of each book.
2. Public awareness – Morgan James Publishing is raising awareness by promoting Habitat for Humanity with every book we release, both inside and outside (with authors consent of course). Creating press opportunities to promote Habitat for Humanity and prominently on our Morgan James Publishing, LLC website(s), literature, radio spots, seminars, etc.
3. Mobilizing volunteers – Morgan James Publishing rolls up our sleeves and does whatever it takes to encourage and mobilize globally volunteers with an emphasis on Habitat for Humanity, including getting our own hands dirty!
4. Morgan James Builds with Habitat for Humanity – We are dedicated to the exercise of faith in action by helping provide safe, decent, affordable homes and communities in a unique partnership with Habitat for Humanity, and low-income families. Morgan James and our authors will be building homes one square foot at a time, using Facebook Causes as our tool for raising awareness and support.  See and Join the initiative here… or log into Facebook and search “Morgan James Habitat Home”.

“We place the Habitat for Humanity logo on the back and inside of our books, with a statement that a percentage of the revenues from the book are donated to the organization.  We also have a large, Mercedes Sprinter cargo van with the Habitat & Morgan James logos that features our imprints and authors; we drive it to as many Habitat home dedications as we can around the country to raise awareness for Habitat and our authors.  From the van, we also give a small library of books to the new homeowners.  So at the same time when we are generating funds for them, we are also raising awareness for the organization’s life-changing work, helping low-income families build decent homes they can afford to buy.  Our efficient business model, enabled by our partnership with Ingram Publisher Services, makes it possible for us to participate with Habitat for Humanity in this way.” - David L. Hancock

How Can I Help?

You can make a difference one book at a time by visiting our BookStore as a percentage of every book sale is donated to Habitat for Humanity.

Buy a S.H.A.R.E. in the Future of Your Community!
A 1,200 square foot Habitat House Costs $65,000 to build, which breaks down to about $54.17 per square foot.  Therefore, the cost of one S.H.A.R.E. (Share Habitat’s Affordable Re-housing Efforts) or one square foot is $54.17.  These S.H.A.R.E. certificates make great holiday, graduation and birthday gifts that can be personalized with the recipient’s name.  The personalized certificate is suitable for framing and will state the number of shares purchased and the amount of each share, as well as the recipient’s name. The home that you participate in “building” will last for many years and will continue to grow in value.  Please visit our facebook cause page and purchase your SHARE today!

To volunteer where you live, use the Habitat affiliate search engine to find contact information for your local affiliate.

What is Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, Christian housing ministry. Habitat for Humanity seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action.

Habitat invites people of all backgrounds, races and religions to build houses together in partnership with families in need.

Habitat has built more than 175,000 houses around the world, providing more than 750,000 people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller along with his wife Linda.

How does it work?
Through volunteer labor and donations of money and materials, Habitat builds and rehabilitates simple, decent houses with the help of the homeowner (partner) families. Habitat houses are sold to partner families at no profit, financed with affordable, no-interest loans. The homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments are used to build still more Habitat houses.

Habitat is not a giveaway program. In addition to a down payment and the monthly mortgage payments, homeowners invest hundreds of hours of their own labor – sweat equity – into building their Habitat house and the houses of others.

What does a Habitat house cost?
Throughout the world, the cost of houses varies from as little as $800 in some developing countries to an average of $46,600 in the United States.

Habitat houses are affordable for low-income families because there is no profit included in the sale price and no interest charged on the mortgage. Mortgage length varies from seven to 30 years.

Where does Habitat for Humanity operate?
Habitat is a worldwide, grass-roots movement. There are more than 2,100 active affiliates in 100 countries, including all 50 states of the United States, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.

How are the partner families selected?
Families in need of decent shelter apply to local Habitat affiliates. The affiliate’s family selection committee chooses homeowners based on their level of need, their willingness to become partners in the program and their ability to repay the no-interest loan. Every affiliate follows a nondiscriminatory policy of family selection. Neither race nor religion is a factor in choosing the families who receive Habitat houses.

If your family, or a family you know, is in need of decent, affordable housing, contact the Habitat affiliate nearest you. If you’re not sure where a local Habitat affiliate might be contact the Habitat help line at (800)422-4828, ext. 2551 or 2552. Your local affiliate can give you information on the availability, size, costs and sweat-equity requirements for Habitat houses in your area, as well as information on the application process.

Since its creation in 1985, Habitat for Humanity Peninsula has completed nearly 100 homes in Hampton, James City County, Newport News, Poquoson, Williamsburg and York County, Virginia and has many homes currently under construction.

For further information about Habitat for Humanity, contact Janet Green, Executive Director, at (757) 596-5553 ext. 5, visit the website at www.HelpHabitatForHumanity.org, or visit the Habitat for Humanity International website at Habitat.org by clicking here.

Consider Yourself Aware!