BUILDING FUTURES
Newport News YouthBuild, Habitat for Humanity team up in Southeast Community
With each swing of the hammer, participants in the Newport News YouthBuild inched one step closer to finishing a shed for Habitat for Humanity — and one step closer to building their futures. “One of the best things about our partnership with YouthBuild is that we’re helping with the workforce development in this area,” said Mimi Mitchell, Habitat’s director of volunteer engagement. “We are helping people who need the help to learn life skills to be able to do something meaningful with their lives and get steady employment.”
This is the second time YouthBuild has partnered with Habitat for Humanity. Participants from the program’s second and third cohorts spent Tuesday and Wednesday framing sheds, a skill that can translate into building homes.
“The beauty of it is they get their hands dirty and really get to see what they learn in the classroom come to life,” said Daniel Carrera, program director.
The YouthBuild program is offered at no cost to anyone 16-24 who is identified as “at-risk.” It gives participants exposure to four trades — carpentry; electrical; plumbing; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning — while they earn certifications, including one from the National Center for Construction Education and Research and one from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
“We actually cover everything that goes into a home so that when they go on these jobs — whatever job they decide to go for — they know what’s going on,” said Kenneth O’Neil, YouthBuild’s construction trainer. “They don’t just know their trade, they know a bit about the other trades.”
The YouthBuild participants at the job site had either two months or six months of experience with the program based on their cohort.
“I think going from the classroom to coming out here was the best option for me because it taught me what I needed to know first and now I’m getting this experience,” said participant A’Shon Livingston. “I’ll have hands-on job experience, on-the-job training and volunteer experience, which will all look good on a resume.
Some of the challenges on-site are things program’s participants haven’t even covered in their textbooks, O’Neil said.
“They don’t mind asking questions, and we don’t mind giving them the answers,” he added with a laugh.
O’Neil has worked in construction for more than 40 years and taught at a YouthBuild program in Hampton when the city had the grant.
“I tell them in the classroom — I’m teaching you what I know because I’m not going to be here forever. I want someone to carry on where I leave off,” O’Neil said.
YouthBuild also teaches students how to work with different personalities. O’Neil said he intentionally partners people in the class to work on projects, so they can learn to work as a team and play to their strengths.
The program functions as a job, with participants receiving a stipend as long as they show up for work.
It is funded by a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor that was awarded to Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas in partnership with the city of Newport News.
“I made sure the students understand, this is their job,” Carrera said. “At 8 o’clock, the van rolled out, and if you were two minutes late, you’re two minutes late. They’re a crew.”
There were four YouthBuild members at the job site Wednesday because a few scheduled to work were late.
“A lot of people think we just build houses, but we like to say we build homes, communities and hope,” Mitchell said of Habitat. “These houses aren’t just for these families, they’re for everyone in the neighborhood. People are going to live here, they’re going to work here, they’re going to worship here, so we want to make sure everyone lives here safely and securely.”
Habitat for Humanity has a construction crew, but it relies on volunteers — such as those in the YouthBuild program — to help keep costs of housing low.
Future Habitat for Humanity homeowners have to pay for their home mortgages, and they have to contribute time to volunteering work on their home, other Habitat homes or in the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
To be eligible for a home, people have to demonstrate a need for assistance, as well as a work history of at least a year, and good credit to show they’ve been paying their bills.
Habitat for Humanity Peninsula and Greater Williamsburg builds about 10-15 homes a year. It’s built more than 200 homes in the area since it began in 1985.
For more information about YouthBuild visit https://www.voachesapeake.org/youthbuild or call 757-386-5922.