An innovative model of social responsibility extends a hand against poverty, thanks to companies that have projects like attend and help 80 employees and their families to get out of poverty situations and get their Costa Rica Property.

Starting in July, will begin earthworks of what will be a social community composed of workers and five other companies, which will have 60 housing units in "La Guácima, Alajuela".

With these kind of projects, companies get in return greater productivity, lower turnover and greater commitment of its employees.

The initiative began when some companies identified that 80 of the 1,060 employees lived in extreme poverty and that 30 of them lived in slums.

About 300 thousand families in the country live with this reality, whose total income does not buy basic food for all its members, says the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses.

The first step occurred in 2007 when 30 families of workers, left the slums they inhabited and were transferred to rental houses, where they had to learn to maintain adequate housing.

The company developed a family budget workshop in which families can prove their ability to maintain for three years a rental house and achieve a minimum savings of ¢ 500 000 as a bonus for their new home.

"We realized that these families had an impressive level of debt. A striking number of companies that lend money to families who can not leave the circle of debt."

Getting out of poverty depend on the second generation, thanks to education. So this programs also tend to provide scholarships to 100% for children of low-income employees.

To maintain the goal of zero extreme poverty, the Companies update every two years, the socio-economic study to ensure the sustainability of the program.