National Recognition for Workforce Efforts.
The National Home Builders Association awarded Home Building Association and Home Building Foundation of Greater Portland a 2023 Association Excellence Award for “Best Workforce Development Plan Implemented”. HBF submitted its Education Partnership Program for consideration, saying it inspires students to pursue careers in residential construction through project- based learning. HBF and HBA members provide materials and give their time to help construction students build meaningful projects that are donated to homeless shelters.
Program History
Sam Barlow shed
Sam Barlow Student Built Shed
Oregon greatly expanded career training education in schools in the past five years, yet HBA and HBF did not have connections with very many. It was a formidable list, with nearly 40 area high schools, community colleges, and four adult pre-apprenticeship programs in the Portland area. At the same time, a 2021 survey of HBA members found they were desperately trying to hire employees. Together HBA and HBF sought expedient ways to connect with the training programs to try to help.
Outreach began with a mailing to 35 high school programs. HBF explained our collaborative work to build and remodel homeless shelter facilities, and invited schools to be involved. Our first partnerships involved providing materials for two high schools to build sheds for shelters. In 2022, HBF won a National Housing Endowment Career Connections grant to pilot the “Picnic Table Project.” As a result, four additional programs built 15 tables, which were donated to transitional housing villages.
Reynolds students build
Reynolds students focus
Beginning saw
CH Trainees Learn Saw Skills
HBA created the name “Education Partnership Program”, and as the 2022-23 school year began, our mailing resulted in more schools asking to be involved. The program grew exponentially, it has involved more HBA members. Students have even worked side by side with residential building industry professionals. For example, trainees from adult pre-apprenticeship program Constructing Hope helped build platforms for tents, learning framing from HBF’s Project Manager Chris McDowell. Another cohort helped build a wheelchair ramp for a homeless facility under the instruction of HBA members Rick’s Custom Fencing. And area high school students and builders from Holt Homes worked together to build a coffee cart and trash enclosure for Cultivate Initiative’s work program.
Partnership Results
As of the 2023-24 school year came to an end, local suppliers have helped us bring materials to nearly half of the area high schools, and hundreds of students have built tables, seating, sheds and even bee keeping houses for shelter facilities. The HBF Education Partnership Program has now placed student-built tables at every “Safe Rest Village” in Portland, which house people transitioning out of homelessness.
Students tell us they are excited about the work. Teachers say the projects help keep students engaged. Reynolds Learning Academy Trades Program. Director Angie Gilbert praises the projects, saying, “We are happy to support HBF, we feel that what we are doing for shelters is very important.” Other teachers told us material costs often mean they build mockups they then have to take apart. Teachers report students want to know where their tables are going and how they are helping in the community. HBF has helped facilitate shelter representatives to come to schools and share information about homelessness.
Builder Brian Schmidt Interviews Trainee at BuildRight
The Education Partnership Program is a companion to another HBA and HBF effort to prepare students for careers in sustainable building. As a result of a grant from the Portland Clean Energy Fund, our organizations are providing career connections to students from Constructing Hope, Oregon Tradeswomen, P.O.I.C and Portland Youth Builders. Students and program graduates have been invited to career fairs, and are invited to attend HBA’s annual BuildRight Conference + Expo.
HBA CEO Dave Nielsen praises the award, saying “I want to thank HBF and the HBA team for their work to elevate this as a priority and make some real progress in what is understandably a long-term play to increase the future workforce in our industry.” He explains this is a very tough award and category to win, as home building associations nationwide are also trying to combat a worker shortage. For HBF, we see the Education Partnership Program as a perfect companion to our shelter building. Ultimately, providing opportunities for people to secure living wage careers will help them avoid housing insecurity.