Dow, Habitat Build House For Homeless Family

DANBURY — Housatonic Habitat for Humanity and The Dow Chemical Company last week dedicated land at 7 Concord Street in Danbury to a family that had been left homeless after a February fire damaged their rental building.

Thanks to Habitat staff and construction volunteers and a donation from Dow, Wilfredo and Denise Berrios and their 5-year-old daughter Lillian could be in their new 3-4 bedroom single-family residence by September.

Through a corporate giving program geared to support employee involvement in local communities, Dow contributed the full $70,000 anticipated construction cost of the Concord Street house. “Over the last 20 years, Dow has contributed more than $10 million in products and cash to Habitat construction projects,” says William Pasko, who works in Supply Chain for Dow in Danbury. “We are pleased to be able to build on our commitment to Habitat by helping to bring another affordable home to a family who badly needs one, in an area with relatively high housing costs.”

The Berrios house is one of many being funded under a $2 million, 2001 commitment by The Dow Chemical Company Foundation to sponsor Habitat projects over four years, and a Dow commitment to supply $5 million of Styrofoam-extruded polystyrene insulation for approximately 25,000 Habitat homes built in North America through 2005.

Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with local organizations and companies like Dow to help responsible, low-income families revitalize inner city properties. Families apply to local Habitat affiliates, then volunteer sweat equity hours on project houses before becoming eligible for one of their own. Construction is financed through private funds and houses are sold to families for the cost of purchases and materials under 30-year, no-interest mortgages.­­­­­­­­­