Racine---A coalition of non-profits allows young people to finish up their high school education and get college credit by building homes.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday at the latest work site, a house that’s being demolished in the 14-hundred block of Illinois Street to make way for new construction. The house was seized for non-payment of property taxes, and then turned over to the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps. The non-profit puts young people to work on a variety of projects in southeast Wisconsin.
23 year-old Steven Brandon of Racine has already worked on several, adding that the program has changed his life. "Ever since I've been with the Corps, I've been on a better path--out of trouble," Brandon told us Monday. "It's helped me in a number of ways," he said.
Mayor Cory Mason says the skills students learn on the construction jobs can help them transition into other well-paying jobs, including those at Foxconn.
Students who’ll be working on the Illinois St. project will receive guidance from professionals. They’ll also get classroom instruction at a nearby fire station. Once completed, the home will be put back on the tax rolls and sold to an income-qualifying household. Over the next year, the Corps. plans to tackle several other home-building projects.
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