Lessons in Caring

Smiling faces of students tell the story. Building meaningful projects for people experiencing homelessness is a joyful experience.  Gresham High construction pre-apprenticeship students built hinged wooden benches which will provide storage outside of the pods at WeShine’s St. Andrew’s “micro-village”.  Students from Beaverton’s Mountainside High and Portland’s Grant High school are completing the benches as well. This project-based learning develops carpentry skills and compassion to help other people.

Another need at WeShine were wheeled planter boxes, so the residents will be able to grow their own vegetables or flowers. Students from Reynolds Learning Academy built ten of them during the fall semester, and they now sit ready to be used when the village opens this spring. In addition, the gap year construction and social justice program Tivnu has also sent its students to the site to help as well. WeShine praises these thoughtful projects. “The kids are alright! the future is bright when young people care about social justice and caring for their unhoused community members. “

Each fall, Home Building Foundation reaches out to the nearly 40 high school construction programs in the Portland area, and asks the teachers if they’d like to be a part of our Education Partnership Program. The Program brings our founding mission to support construction education together with our dual goal to build and remodel shelters for unhoused Portlanders.  HBF’s Project Manager Chris McDowell asks area service providers if there are small items we can ask students to build that will make their shelters more livable. Once a teacher says they are interested, HBF helps with designs, secures materials from our generous partners, then delivers the materials to the schools. Teachers call HBF when they are done, then HBF picks up and delivers the projects to our grateful shelter partners.  

The Education Partnership Program has involved nearly half of the area high schools since its beginning in the 2021-22 school year. Two of the area adult pre-apprenticeship construction program trainees have also been involved. The program also provides Home Building Association members an opportunity to connect with students. For example, a team from Holt Homes helped Reynolds Learning Academy students build a coffee cart and trash can enclosure for Cultivate Initiative’s work program. Rick’s Custom Fencing taught carpentry techniques to trainees from Constructing Hope while building a wheelchair ramp at Project Homeless Connect.

HBF pays for the Partnership Program materials from its annual budget.  The great news is, for the next two years, HBF will is receiving $50,000 per year for our workforce development efforts thanks to generous grants from the Pat Ritz Foundation, and the Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund. If you’d like to get involved by supplying materials or help with students, contact Teresa Spangler, HBF’s Workforce Coordinator at Teresas@hbapdx.org.