Building a house -- and a future

Seventeen-year-old Rogeau Hooks of Aurora had never done construction work before.

But as he puts up walls, lays flooring and saws wood for a Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity home under construction in Montgomery, he's finding he likes it.

"It's a new experience, but it's a good experience," he said. "I'm learning lots of things I never knew before."

Hooks isn't the only young adult lending his elbow grease to building the home in Montgomery for a family in need. Nor are he and the other 10 to 12 workers at the site every Tuesday and Thursday simply doing a good deed through community service.

The young people are helping themselves by learning job skills while completing their GEDs through Quad County Urban League's YouthBuild program.

The program, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, requires that the young adults ages 16 to 24 serve their communities by building affordable housing while they work on getting their own lives on track for a productive future.

Teaming up with Habitat for Humanity to give the workers the required construction experience seemed like a natural fit, said Scott Smith, Urban League program manager.

"I think it made sense for us to work with them," Smith said. "It's a great opportunity."

The Rev. Jeff Barrett, executive director of the Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity, said the recently formed arrangement helps both organizations. With three homes currently under construction, Habitat would be stretched for volunteers if it weren't for the YouthBuild workers, he said.

"It's hard to split your regular volunteers on three sites," Barrett said. "It's a new, neat relationship for us that we're excited about."

YouthBuild workers helped construct another Habitat home, but this is the first project in which they will do the bulk of the labor, Barrett said. The excavation and concrete work are professionally done. A Habitat site supervisor oversees the work of the volunteers.

The Urban League, which has two construction trainers on staff, also provides supervision on the site.

Work on the Montgomery home started in October and is expected to be completed in mid-February. Barrett said Habitat is willing to take enough time to show its young workers what must be done, and hopes to partner with local unions to help teach them skills.

"We're going to teach them as much as we can about building a house," he said.

Habitat site supervisor Bryan Roe of Aurora said two regular Habitat volunteers working with him have enabled him to give more time to the young people. Most seem eager to learn, he said.

"From the first day until now (the fifth day), they're picking it up pretty quickly," he said. "It's not easy work. Very manual."

YouthBuild worker Janella Lopez, 22, said she is surprised at how fast the work is going.

"We're moving quickly," she said. "It shows us how to work as a team, follow directions, be on time."

Lopez had been out of high school four years when a friend referred her to the Urban League. She is getting the personalized help she lacked before, she said.

"This is the perfect place to help you out," she said "I'm really happy with the program. I hope to accomplish my GED so I can go to college."

Lopez would like to go into law enforcement rather than making a career of the building trades, but she said she still finds the construction experience valuable.

"One day when I own a house, I'll know what to do when something happens," she said.

Smith said the Urban League works to provide young people training and paid internships in a number of fields, including computers and retail. But construction experience is central to the YouthBuild program. The young people spend Mondays and Wednesdays in classes, Tuesdays and Thursdays on the construction site, and Fridays developing personal and social skills.

The program runs in eight-month cycles, but participants may stay for shorter or longer amounts of time depending on how long it takes them to obtain their GEDs.

YouthBuild job developer Lloyd Hill said the construction portion of the program is a confidence builder for young people who may suffer from low self-esteem. Many have dropped out of school or been expelled.

"It gives them a sense of what they can accomplish when they work together," Hill said.

Construction trades also can lead to well-paid work. That may be especially important for the YouthBuild participants who have police records for trouble they have gotten into in the past.

"The construction trades always have been willing to give a second chance," Hill said.

The Urban League works in DuPage, Kane, Will and Kendall counties, but most of the YouthBuild participants are from Aurora or nearby communities, Smith said. Those with more advanced construction skills work with John Biris Construction, a builder of low-income housing.

YouthBuild is one of a number of programs the Urban League has to foster equal opportunities and economic self-reliance among disadvantaged people, including people of color, women and people with disabilities. For details on the Urban League, call (630) 851-2203.

Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity, an Aurora-based ecumenical Christian organization, has built 39 homes in Aurora and Montgomery since its founding in 1989. Volunteers are needed who can work in a supervisory capacity. For details on Fox Valley Habitat, call (630) 859-3333 or visit foxvalleyhabitat.org.