By Alexis Oatman, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio-- For the past five years, Building Great Futures has been working to give inner-city youth marketable skills before graduation by training them in the construction trades.

The endeavor is a joint effort between the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Ohio, Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity and Youth Opportunities Unlimited. Since 2016, the program has taught Northeast Ohio teens how to renovate homes during the summer. To date, the program has helped rehab 14 houses, supporting 15 adults and 23 children.

The youth involved are 15 teenagers from Boys and Girls Clubs from local area high schools such as East Tech, Cleveland Central Catholic, JFK, Lincoln West and more.

Tory Coats, director of career readiness for Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio and one of the program’s coordinators, said the initiative creates opportunities for young people to gain hands-on work experience.

“Students are in school all day within the confines of a school building, but this gives the opportunity to really learn by doing,” he said.

Over 10 weeks, teens will renovate four homes and receive payment for their work through city funding with Youth Opportunities Unlimited. The program ends Friday, Aug. 12.

Before breaking ground on the homes, the teens undergo Occupational Safety and Health Administration certification and construction training with Associated Builders and Contractors in Broadview Heights.

Robert Johnson, 17, one of the 15 teens involved in the program, said he always had an interest in working with his hands. Joining the program allowed him to open his mind about trade school and make construction work into a career.

Johnson is thankful for the program because he can now take his OSHA certification to future jobs. He also received a grant to obtain his trade license from Associated Builders and Contractors, so if he decides to return after high school, he will have a safety net waiting for him.

“It’s a great opportunity for kids my age or younger,” he said.

The renovated homes are part of the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity’s revitalization plan for the Buckeye neighborhood in Cleveland. So far, more than 50 homes have been rehabbed there. By 2024, Habitat hopes to rehab 100 homes throughout the Buckeye area.

The houses are acquired through a partnership between Habitat and the Cuyahoga Land Bank. After the rehabbing work, the house will be sold by the Land Bank for a nominal fee. It will be available to Habitat homebuyers to select and purchase with a zero percent interest mortgage.

On Wednesday, the program kicked off with a small gathering at one of the homes that will be rehabbed on Elwell Avenue in the Buckeye neighborhood. The teens and representatives from each respective organization attended.

“This program started as a vision that inner-city youth could gain valuable skills, explore possible career opportunities in the construction trades and learn how to be a member of a successful team, and over the last five years, we’ve seen just that,” said John Habat, president and CEO of Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity.

“It is gratifying to see our youth partners realize that their efforts directly help other Cleveland families become homeowners.”

Updated: Jun. 16, 2022, 9:14 a.m. | Published: Jun. 16, 2022, 8:00 a.m.