Heart of Oregon Corps gets $1.1 million federal grant

The U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday that Heart of Oregon Corps is one of 81 programs across the country to be awarded a competitive YouthBuild grant, of $1.1 million. The nationwide total is $85 million for programs in 32 states.

At a time when affordable housing shortages, construction trades workforce shortages and an achievement gap in our graduation rates are all at the forefront of regional and state issues, the local nonprofit continues to attract significant federal support to address all three, the organization said.

Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced the grant, saying it uses pre-apprenticeships to help young people considered at risk complete high school or state equivalency degree programs, earn industry-recognized credentials for in-demand occupations, and undergo training to build housing for low-income or homeless individuals and families in their communities.

“This creative approach to educate and train at-risk students helps prepare them for future careers while making their communities better places to live,” Wyden said. “That’s a winning equation for the YouthBuild students and for all of Central Oregon.”

“I grew up building things and working with my hands and learned lessons that have stayed with me through my life,” Merkley said. “YouthBuild gives kids an opportunity to develop practical job skills and keep them on track to get an education. There are lots of pathways to success, and this YouthBuild grant will help provide an extremely valuable option for students in Central Oregon.”

The evidence-based program model propels disconnected youth to re-engage in school to earn their diploma or GED while learning the construction trades by building affordable homes. Leadership is also a key program element, ensuring that young people build resilience while developing a connection to their communities through service and volunteerism.

Abby Hartung, 21, of Redmond, said it best at a recent Heart of Oregon YouthBuild graduation ceremony. “At YouthBuild, walls of barriers and self-doubting that were standing in the way of ourselves were knocked down, and the confidence within all of us has blossomed and made us who or what we want to be in the future.”

The YouthBuild grant, Heart of Oregon’s fifth since 2009, will support the program over three years, 2019-2021. In that time, the program will serve 73 youth, ages 16-24, primarily from the communities of Sisters, Madras, Warm Springs, Prineville, Redmond, and Culver.

Serving the program is a nine-member qualified staff team of teachers, construction trainers and Counselors to comprehensively support the youth, who face a number of challenges such as poverty, childhood trauma, housing insecurity, foster care, disability-related challenges, or teen parenthood. A network of schools, agencies, nonprofits, and caring family members refer youth, who have to apply and prove eligibility, interview, and compete for a spot in the program.

Youth earn a small living stipend and regional bus pass while attending program for 12 full months. Two days a week, they build affordable housing and earn a national NCCER construction certification, and on two days a week they attend academic courses designed to re-engage and accelerate their skills for GED and high school diploma completion.

One day a week, the whole program comes together for “Leadership Wednesdays,” a time to bond as a program community while completing service projects in their larger community.

Then, program graduates create a ‘transition engagement contract’ to set goals and access YouthBuild wrap-around supportive services for another 12 months as they transition into employment, post-secondary training or degrees, national or military service, and increasingly stable lives.

Young people will build three single-family affordable homes for local families in need in the next two years. One will be built in Madras through a partnership with Housing Works, one in Sisters with Sisters Habitat for Humanity, and one in Prineville with Heart of Oregon Corps acting as developer and builder (CCB# 188805).

Applications for qualified families to buy the house in Prineville will be available this summer, and the youth will evaluate and select the new homeowner for the home they built.

“Partnerships are a critical part of this program’s perseverance and success,” says Laura Handy, executive director at Heart of Oregon Corps. “School districts like Sisters and Jefferson County have taken a leadership role in making the opportunity possible regionally for students most at-risk of not completing their diploma, students who may need a comprehensive, 24-month, year-round model like YouthBuild that couldn’t be offered at each and every rural district.”

Construction trades and business partnerships are also key; the Central Oregon Building Trades Council and the Local 290 are committed partners in helping youth access apprenticeships.

Heart of Oregon leverages the chamber-supported Better Together “Youth Career Connect” Internship Coordinators across the region and long-time business supporters like Webfoot Painting, Knife River, R&H Construction, and SunWest Builders to help youth find internships and jobs.

Youth also take their first college credit and explore campus and at the regional campuses of partner Central Oregon Community College.

There are 21 formally committed partners on the recently awarded grant application, who demonstrate strong local community support for the continued success of Heart of Oregon YouthBuild: Sisters School District, Jefferson County School District, Housing Works, Sisters Habitat for Humanity, Better Together, Central Oregon Community College, Plumbers and Steamfitters UA Local 290, Central Oregon Building Trades Council, East Cascade Works, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council, Oregon Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Webfoot, R&H Construction, Knife River, SunWest Builders, Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson Counties Community Justice Departments, Oregon Dept. of Human Services, Oregon Youth Authority, and YouthBuildUSA’s AmeriCorps and Mentoring Initiatives.

Heart of Oregon Corps is currently recruiting eligible YouthBuild participants and compassionate adults from the community to serve as volunteer mentors. Youth cohorts for this grant will begin in February, April, and October of 2019, and January and April of 2020. Apply today at www.heartoforegon.org.

About Heart of Oregon Corps and Heart of Oregon YouthBuild
Heart of Oregon Corps is a nonprofit organization invested in inspiring and empowering positive change in the lives of Central Oregon youth through jobs, education, and stewardship. Every year, we provide job skills training, education, and leadership development to over 300 local young people ages 16-24 who face major barriers to success. We empower a generation of young people to believe in themselves and achieve self-sufficiency. Heart of Oregon Corps trains tomorrow’s workforce today–youth can apply at www.heartoforegon.org.