How the Home Building Foundation is Putting PCEF Grant Funds to Good Use

BY: TERESA SPANGLER, HBF STAFF AND SAMANTHA THOMAS, HBA STAFF

Sustainable Careers

Home Building Association’s annual BuildRight Conference featured some new faces this spring. Among the crowd of seasoned professionals were people interested in starting careers in sustainable construction. HBA hosted graduates from four local adult pre-apprenticeship programs who attended seminars and met with potential employers for mock interviews. As HBA’s Building Science leader Carol Eisenlohr reported, the energy in the room was “contagious”.

The trainees came from four adult pre-apprenticeship programs, known as PATP or Portland Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program Consortium. Constructing Hope, a long-time HBF partner, leads the partnership with Oregon Tradeswomen, Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (P.O.I.C), and Portland Youth Builders. All four programs provide free training for low-income people, the majority of whom are BIPOC and women. Many Constructing Hope trainees were formerly incarcerated.

HBA and HBF’s involvement with the programs comes from a 2022 grant funded by Portland’s Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund, known as PCEF. The Fund is paid for by taxes, and is intended to fight climate change with programs that benefit people who are most impacted; people who live in low-income neighborhoods, and disproportionately people of color. PCEF literature states the Fund will ensure opportunities in the clean energy field are inclusive of historically marginalized and under-represented populations.

A key PCEF grant category is Workforce and Business Development. Constructing Hope won a $7 million dollar grant to lead the consortium with efforts to employ trainees in sustainable building careers. Because of HBF’s ongoing support of Constructing Hope, HBA and HBF were invited to be a part of the grant. During the three- terms, HBA committed to inviting trainees to “green” building programs such as BuildRight, Behind the Walls tours, and the H.O.T.T tour. PCEF funds also involve our partner EarthAdvantage. EarthAdvantage leads two-day intensives at each training program, and awards graduates a certificate in sustainable building. With employment as the focus of the PCEF grants, HBA and HBF are also working together to bring industry representatives to job fairs for the newly-certified sustainable builders. On Veteran’s Day last fall, the participants gathered at the historic Allen Temple CME Church for a career fair hosted by Constructing Hope. The church basement was crowded with current trainees

“The Portland Clean Energy Fund provides HBA and HBF an exciting opportunity to connect with adults who are receiving cutting-edge training about sustainable building practices. Our involvement with the PCEF Workforce efforts should bring our industry highly trained, diverse candidates who can help meet Portland’s demand for additional housing. In addition, we are bringing brighter futures as the trainees secure living wage careers to support their families.”

– Rachel Trice, HBA CMO

and graduates. HBF recruited four HBA member businesses that offered well-paying jobs to all who were interested. Fireside Home Solutions, Parr Lumber, Rick’s Custom Fencing, and Ridgecrest Custom Cabinets squeezed together side-by-side to talk with the trainees. Candace Hanks, with Ridgecrest, says it was an incredibly successful event. “We were able to refer candidates to another employer if we weren’t the right fit.”

HBF and HBA are currently planning the next job fair with Constructing Hope, with the intention to recruit up to 30 employers to meet with the consortium trainees. During the grant period, opportunities like this will help the residential home building industry hire diverse new employees, who are trained in the latest sustainable building techniques. At the same time, these trainees can bring economic stability to their families with living wage careers in our high-demand industry.

School Projects

HBF Project Manager Chris McDowell manned the tractor as it gingerly moved two large sheds into the small backyard behind Project Homeless Connect in Hillsboro. Two Glencoe High students who built the sheds watched their handiwork settle into place. Junior Rocco Marzilli says “It’s really nice, we are helping out people who need our help.” The sheds are the result of the Home Building Foundation’s efforts to grow the residential construction workforce by connecting with high school construction classes.

HBF began asking high school teachers if they wanted to help build projects for shelter providers in the fall of 2021. Reynolds Learning Academy Trades program toured our remodel for HomePlate Youth Services, then built cedar planter boxes for the campus. Sam Barlow High students built a shed for the home that HBF Builder Captain Jim Standring helped build for Anisa’s Place, a Clackamas facility for young women leaving sex trafficking.

These projects inspired HBF to apply for a National Housing Endowment “Career Connections” grant to start a “Picnic Table Project”. Along with funding from Bank of America, and donations from International Wood Products, we brought cedar to schools and an adult training program last year to build tables for shelters. The pilot proved tables were simple to build, and were easy for HBF to bring to nonprofits serving homeless populations. The tables were on display at the 2022 NW Natural Street of Dreams to show the public our efforts to connect with area classrooms.

HBF has now coordinated projects with nearly half of the local high school construction programs. In June, picnic tables from Cleveland High were delivered to Portland’s new Reedsway Village, giving HBF bragging rights that our student-built tables are now in use at all of Portland’s Safe Rest Villages, as well as other shelters across the Metro area.

HBF’s high school outreach comes at a fortuitous time. Oregon began pumping large amounts of money for school Career Technical Education after the 2016 passage of Measure 98, which created the High School Success Fund. Many construction-related training programs were added, resulting in 38 high school programs in Portland’s Metro region alone. Teachers have welcomed HBF involvement in their classrooms.

Glencoe’s sheds are a perfect example of a successful project. Teacher Todd Patterson and HBF Project Manager McDowell met at Project Homeless Connect to discuss where the sheds were needed. Parr Lumber dropped off supplies at Glencoe. HBF visited the school several times during the semester to see the progress and brought paint to match the shed to the shelter. Project Homeless Connect staff visited the school, to explain to students what an impact they were making. Teacher Todd Patterson is eager to work with us again. “Students learn skills that benefit someone, and you combine this with construction skills, it’s a win-win for everyone.” The project garnered local television news coverage as well, to the delight of the students involved.

HBF is seeing a growing interest in the residential industry to become involved. HBA members Taylor Morrison, Holt Homes, and Fireside Home Solutions hosted tours for high school students this past year. For example, Builders FirstSource helped provide pre-cut lumber for cedar benches built by students at Sherwood High School. The benches will be in the HBF workforce display at this year’s NW Natural Street of Dreams and will be donated to a shelter after the show.

HBF will continue to perfect its high school outreach in the 2023-24 school year. We encourage the industry to join us as we make these vital connections. Together, we will build a pipeline of new talent to meet Portland’s home building needs of the future.

Constructing Hope, a NE Portland pre-apprenticeship program. Constructing Hope focuses on people leaving incarceration. All of its trainees are low-income and most are people of color. Constructing Hope’s free, 10-week construction program also includes job readiness counseling, life skills, and safety certifications, and helps the trainees with important paperwork such as obtaining their driver’s licenses.

As leader of the Home Building Foundation (HBF), I’m guided by our founding mission; to provide housing for all Portlanders, and to support construction training to build the workforce of the future. Our archives reveal a 1996 Home Building News quote from our founder Rudy Kadlub, saying the new Foundation would “Help people understand there is honor in providing housing for the country.” He hoped that HBF would support scholarships, apprenticeships, and hands-on training programs.

I’m proud to report the Home Building Foundation is growing our residential construction workforce efforts with transformative new initiatives. At a time when Portland faces a homeless crisis, an acute housing shortage, and a need for more trained construction labor, this work is more important than ever.

During our 26-year history, the Foundation focused on providing college scholarships. To date, we have awarded more than $300,000 to students pursuing college degrees in fields such as architecture, construction management, and engineering. Our scholarship program continues today, using the state of Oregon’s OSAC student scholarship portal for applications.

HBF’s outreach to adults training for construction careers took a turn in 2019, with a $75,000 grant from the Lennar Foundation. The grant was obtained through our affiliation with HomeAid as a part of its WORKS Program. We used the funding to forge a relationship with

During the pandemic, HBF provided funding to help Constructing Hope trainees with grants for laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots, so they could study at home. Our funding helped provide stipends to help students struggling to pay rent or utilities. HBF brought industry experts such as Nathan Young with MODS PDX, and Darci Fredricks of California Closets to speak with the trainees under a tent about careers in the residential industry.

Yet, as an organization, we believed we could do more. Our board voted to add a part-time staff member in the summer of 2021. Communications and Workforce Coordinator Teresa Spangler began reaching out to local high school programs to see how we could get involved with them. We connected with all four adult-pre-apprenticeship construction programs in our area. HBF attends statewide task force meetings regarding trends in construction labor and education. Our Workforce Development Advisory Group is yielding industry support. Our education and workforce programs are bringing in new sources of HBF funding through private grants and community support.

Historically, HBF’s model relied on our connections with the residential building community to provide labor and materials to build and remodel shelter facilities. We have completed close to 80 projects with a retail value of over $13 million with almost $5 million of in-kind donations of labor and materials. I believe our Workforce training and education efforts will achieve an equal level of success, and will create a trained, compassionate residential building industry to help Portland weather its current headwinds. We invite you to collaborate with us on our current projects and to help us dream of new programs to build for the future.

The New Generation Sub Zero Columns are Stunning! We Expect No Less from the Creators of Luxury Refrigeration

The New Generation Sub Zero Columns are Stunning! We Expect No Less from the Creators of Luxury Refrigeration

The New Generation Sub Zero Columns are Stunning! We Expect No Less from the Creators of Luxury Refrigeration

The New Generation Sub Zero Columns are Stunning! We Expect No Less from the Creators of Luxury Refrigeration

The New Generation Sub Zero Columns are Stunning! We Expect No Less from the Creators of Luxury Refrigeration

The New Generation Sub Zero Columns are Stunning! We Expect No Less from the Creators of Luxury Refrigeration

The New Generation Sub Zero Columns are Stunning! We Expect No Less from the Creators of Luxury Refrigeration

At Eastbank Appliances You'll Find the Very Best Detailed Product Knowledge from Oregon's Largest Sub Zero & Wolf Builder Supplier

At Eastbank Appliances You'll Find the Very Best Detailed Product Knowledge from Oregon's Largest Sub Zero & Wolf Builder Supplier

At Eastbank Appliances You'll Find the Very Best Detailed Product Knowledge from Oregon's Largest Sub Zero & Wolf Builder Supplier

At Eastbank Appliances You'll Find the Very Best Detailed Product Knowledge from Oregon's Largest Sub Zero & Wolf Builder Supplier

At Eastbank Appliances You'll Find the Very Best Detailed Product Knowledge from Oregon's Largest Sub Zero & Wolf Builder Supplier

Experience Quality Trust

Experience Quality Trust

We At Eastbank

We

Eastbank

---We promise Detailed Planning, Follow Up and Professional Delivery---

At

Experience Quality Trust

---We promise Detailed Planning, Follow Up and Professional Delivery---

---We promise Detailed Planning, Follow Up and Professional Delivery---

At Eastbank Appliances You'll Find the Very Best Detailed Product Knowledge from Oregon's Largest Sub Zero & Wolf Builder Supplier Experience Quality Trust

At Eastbank Appliances You'll Find the Very Best Detailed Product Knowledge from Oregon's Largest Sub Zero & Wolf Builder Supplier Experience Quality Trust

---We promise Detailed Planning, Follow Up and Professional Delivery---

800 SE Hawthorne Blvd just 3 minutes from Downtown Portland 503.954.1192

Experience Quality Trust 800 SE Hawthorne Blvd just 3 minutes from Downtown Portland 503.954.1192

---We promise Detailed Planning, Follow Up and Professional Delivery---

---We promise Detailed Planning, Follow Up and Professional Delivery---

800 SE Hawthorne Blvd just 3 minutes from Downtown Portland 503.954.1192

Experience Quality Trust 800 SE Hawthorne Blvd just 3 minutes from Downtown Portland 503.954.1192

---We promise Detailed Planning, Follow Up and Professional Delivery--- www.eastbankappliance.com

800 SE Hawthorne Blvd just 3 minutes from Downtown Portland 503.954.1192

Open to the Public 8:30 to 5 Mon - Fri Saturdays by Appointment

800 SE Hawthorne Blvd just 3 minutes from Downtown Portland 503.954.1192

Open to the Public 8:30 to 5 Mon - Fri Saturdays by Appointment www.eastbankappliance.com Open to the Public 8:30 to 5 Mon - Fri Saturdays by Appointment www.eastbankappliance.com www.eastbankappliance.com Open to the Public 8:30 to 5 Mon - Fri Saturdays by Appointment

800 SE Hawthorne Blvd just 3 minutes from Downtown Portland 503.954.1192 www.eastbankappliance.com www.eastbankappliance.com www.eastbankappliance.com

September August

August

August 10

HBF Executive, 8:30 am, HBA Offices

Zoom

Government Affairs, 10:00 am, Zoom

August 9

HPC Executive, 9:30 am, HBA Offices

Zoom

Trap Shoot Committee, 1:00 pm, HBA Offices

August 24

HBA Board of Directors + Leadership Retreat, 11:30 am, HBA Offices

August 16

PWB Executive, 10:00 am, HBA Offices

Zoom

Membership & Retention Committee, 12:00 pm, HBA Offices

Zoom

September 4

Labor Day –HBA Offices Closed

September 6

PBUD Council Meeting, 9:00 am, Zoom

September 13

HPC Executive, 9:30 am, HBA Offices + Zoom

September 14

HBF Executive, 8:30 am, HBA Offices + Zoom

September 20

PWB Executive, 10:00 am, HBA Offices + Zoom

Membership & Retention Committee, 12:00 pm, HBA Offices + Zoom

September 21

HBF Board of Directors, 7:30 am, HBA Offices

September 28

Finance Committee, 10:45 am, HBA Offices + Zoom

HBA Executive, 11:30 am, HBA Offices + Zoom