About 75 people gathered for the dedication ceremony of the 14th house completed by Habitat for Humanity's Hemet/San Jacinto affiliate on Saturday. It is the first of six homes that will be built on adjacent lots donated by Hemet.
Volunteers started building the Hemet house in May and the Salgado family worked beside them as they put in their required 500 hours of sweat equity for the nonprofit organization. A grant pays for the salary of construction supervisor John Cosselman, who is onsite each day to oversee the workers.
Residing in the four-bedroom, two-bath house will be Sammy Salgado, 24, his wife Juanita, 30 and children Xavier, 17, Ezekiel, 7, Josiah, 3 and Estherlynn, 2. They will move from their a two-bedroom apartment into the home as soon as they receive the certificate of occupancy, which was expected today.
These homes are not free -- we are helping people who are trying to help themselves," said Lakshman Koka, president of the local affiliate. He said the family's 30-year interest-free mortgage was calculated on the actual cost of construction and will be $358 per month.
A dedication ceremony has several key elements. A loaf of bread is given so "the family will never know hunger." A candle will assure that their home "will never be dark." A Bible is presented to the family so they will take possession of the house and instill values and morals to make it a home.
"It's unbelievable," sand Sammy Salgado after the house was blessed. "I just want to thank God, all the supporters and the volunteers."
The Salgados started the application process about two years ago.
"What a wonderful time of year to deliver the gift of this home to your beautiful family," said longtime supporter Supervisor Jeff Stone. "You now have the American dream of home ownership."
Double-paned windows and high-grade insulation will help keep the 1,280-square-foot home energy-efficient. A large front porch and back patio will be a feature on all six of the homes. The exterior's concrete material is styled to look like wood.
"We're very eco-friendly," said Cosselman, of Idyllwild.
In August of 2008 he stopped in at the affiliate's office and gave up his plans to retire. He has worked on residential projects in California and Florida.
"Now this is the way to finish a career -- to see them out here working every Saturday," said Cosselman.
"This is the most beautiful thing, and so close to Christmas," said Juanita's mother Esther, who lives in San Jacinto. She baby-sat the children so Sammy and Juanita could spend as much time as possible helping to build their new home.
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