SAN JOSE, Calif. Meriwest CU has provided $35,000 in down payments for each of four families through a $140,000 Federal Home Loan Bank grant that enabled them each to purchase a new Habitat for Humanity home.
Habitat for Humanity of the East Bay & Silicon Valley originally acquired the small property on Cleo Avenue from the City of Cupertino. The setting, next to a freeway sound wall, was a challenge for architects, who eventually created four 1,000-square-foot personal residences there. Construction was completed by Habitat for Humanity volunteers and the friends and families of the selected residents. The families selected for their homes are required to contribute a minimum of 500 hours of work on the homes, otherwise known as “Sweat Equity.”
“These four homes would not have been possible without the support of our community partners such as Meriwest Credit Union, which sponsored our request for a $140,000 grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank’s Affordable Housing Grant program,” said Janice Jensen, president of Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley.
