Habitat welcomes new owner

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By Jon Moffett

This new house is now a home sweet home.

For the first time in almost a year, James Morgan of Youngstown is home.

Morgan has lived in the Atkinson Avenue house since April, but the residence now belongs to him thanks to help from Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning County. The organization had a house-warming party Tuesday for Morgan.

“This is my homecoming,” Morgan said. “I’ve been working with Habitat for about eight months, so this is exciting for me to say I’m have ownership of the house.”

Morgan, a deacon at Triedstone Baptist Church, and about 20 well-wishers gathered in the living room of his new home. Habitat for Humanity staff, friends and family members took turns sharing blessings, words of encouragement and congratulations.

“I am grateful for the people God has put into my life; all the people who have been in my corner,” Morgan said.

Morgan will purchase the home from Habitat via a no-interest mortgage, said Monica Craven, executive director of the organization. In addition to the financial responsibility, Morgan donated 250 hours of “sweat equity” to the organization by helping with construction, landscaping, renovating and maintaining other homes in the program. The criteria is 250 hours for single individuals, and 350 hours for a household of two or more adults.

“Sweat equity is Habitat’s way of saying a homeowner has to give their own time and energy into the house,” Craven said. “He did all 250 of those hours.”

The hours give homeowners a chance to prove themselves and their commitment, she said.

The home was originally built a few years ago for a family who had to pull out of the program. Morgan rented the house for six months and went through the process of becoming qualified before signing the mortgage.

Overcome with joy, Morgan said that without the organization the celebration wouldn’t have been possible.

“It’s a blessing to have Habitat,” he said. “Without Habitat, I wouldn’t be in a new house. There is no way I could afford one.”

Craven said the group’s goal is to help people like Morgan achieve their goals of owning homes and to eliminate poverty housing.

“It’s a broad mission,” she said. “Here in Youngstown, we’re working slowly to eliminate poverty housing here. We work with low-income families – we partner with them – to help them get into home ownership.”

The Mahoning County branch of the organization has completed 28 homes since it was founded in 1989, Craven said. She hopes to have at least four additional houses completed by the end of the year.

During the celebration, a teary-eyed Craven struggled to keep her emotions in check when talking about the organization’s founder, Millard Fuller, who died earlier this month.

“Actually, the first Habitat house was built in Zaire,” Craven said. “He went over there and said if the program worked in Africa, it’s got to work here. It’s seen an absolute growth spurt since then [1973].”

She said the organization has constructed roughly 350,000 houses in 90 countries worldwide. She added that there are approximately 1,600 Habitat affiliates in the United States; 69 in Ohio.

Morgan thanked everyone for attending the ceremony and pledged he won’t forget what the organization has done for him.

“I always will volunteer my time,” Morgan said, adding he hopes to help others in similar situations.

“I’ve been blessed, so why not? It’s giving something back.”

jmoffett@vindy.com