Barrie’s Cara Swan likes the exchange in the Community Builders’ Trades and Diversity Program.
She is nearing the end of her time in the program, which provides paid skilled trades training during a three-month period.
“You get one-on-one (instruction), but what I really like is whatever level you are at, everyone is treated the same, everyone is equal,” Swan said. “It’s the support, the diversity … no matter what your background.”
She learned framing, dry walling, widows, doors, renovations and finishing during the course.
And the program got a half-million-dollar boost Friday.
The city is providing $250,000 to the program, Meridian Credit Union’s Reframe Program the same amount, it was announced at the Davidson Street training facility.
“We’re working to solve two of the biggest problems in Canada — (a lack of) affordable housing and the shortage of skilled labour,” said Brandon Day, Community Builders’ CEO.
He said its trainees leave the program with confidence, essential life skills, safety gear, certifications, their own tools and hands-on experience to launch them into a construction career.
The city’s funding for the program comes from the $25.6 million Barrie received earlier this year from the federal housing accelerator fund, designed to eliminate barriers to building new housing.
In early October, city council approved a motion directing that $250,000 from the fund go to the Community Builders program, to support speeding the building of affordable housing.
“We have been using the money to support projects going ahead in the city,” said Mayor Alex Nuttall. “We know this province has a housing crisis. We would love to see this (program) replicated around the province.”
“We do believe this model can truly change things,” said Meridian Credit Union CEO Jay-Ann Gilfoy. “I want to do something meaningful.”
Aside from skills training, Community Builders delivers both general construction services and off-site modular housing construction projects. It produces homes in a climate-controlled factory year-round in Barrie.
Trainees get to work at real jobs such as renovations, building secondary suits, accessory dwelling units and modular housing.
Established in 2016, Community Builders is a not-for-profit construction social enterprise in Simcoe County and Greater Sudbury.
Its business model is designed to support people, to move them off social assistance and provide jobs.
The program has trained more than 300 people who are ready to work.
