These will be the first of many wired homes planned for construction in the United States, Europe and Africa by Habitat for Humanity International in collaboration with the Cisco Foundation. In the last 20 years, Habitat built 100,000 homes around the world. A new, accelerated goal is to build another 100,000 in five years. The Peninsula arm of the Americus, Ga.-based organization has erected 50 homes in the last 10 years in East Palo Alto, Redwood City, Menlo Park and San Mateo. Another 30 are under construction.
Qualified families draw lots for the chance to buy a house.
They get an interest-free mortgage, and each contributes 500 hours of work. Habitat professionals coordinate and oversee donations of labor and supplies from individual volunteers, municipalities, clubs and local companies to help reduce costs. Cerafin Castillo, equipment program manager at Cisco's corporate philanthropy offices, heads the corporation's work on the six new Redwood City homes. Cisco gets back plenty from volunteer projects, he said. The materials don't cost much, Castillo said.