Author: Center on Wisconsin Strategy

Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country is a “hands-on” green-construction training program involving Native American tribes in the upper Midwest, architects and landscape architects, builders and contractors, and students and faculty from the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The project is oriented toward community development on Indian reservations through technology transfer and job skills training in sustainable housing construction techniques based on natural systems, organic materials, local labor, and energy efficiency.

The project began in 2002, when leaders of the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwa invited the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Landscape Architecture to participate in a “community planning and design initiative that would address the need for affordable housing while preserving their natural and cultural resources.”  Faculty and staff from the university worked with representatives from community planning, housing, social services, and natural resource programs to create an economically, ecologically, and culturally appropriate plan for developing new housing and community facilities on the reservation. The planning process was open to the community at-large through a series of public workshops to invite feedback on the different plans under consideration. Following approval of the project by the Tribal Council, construction began in 2005. By the end of 2008, 24 new homes had been built.

The success of the Red Cliff project resulted in requests for similar collaborative efforts in other communities in the region. This led to the creation of the Green Communities and Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country Tech Transfer/Jobs Training Initiative to disseminate the skills and technology training utilized in the Red Cliff development project. Working with the Madison-based nonprofit architectural and planning group Design Coalition and several other organizations, the UW Landscape Architecture faculty has facilitated workshops to craft development plans in collaboration with several tribes across the upper Midwest, including the St. Croix Ojibwa, the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Superior Ojibwa, and the Mole Lake Sokaogon Ojibwa.

Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country training sessions consist of community-based workshops and the development of one or two model projects under the direction of experienced builders and contractors. In this way, program coordinators are “training the trainers” in construction and design techniques so community residents can have the skills and knowledge to implement further development.  Furthermore, the projects themselves provide hands-on training for community members without previous experience in general labor and construction. The Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College, near Hayward WI, has institutionalized this training by joining with the University of Wisconsin, Design Coalition, and Kelly Design Group to expand green building techniques taught through their Sustainable Living Institute and their Alternative Energy and Construction Technology Programs..

The core of the Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country training content involves the “Northern Light Straw-Clay” wall construction techniques developed by Design Coalition, which are specifically tailored to promote energy efficiency and cost effectiveness for houses in the Upper Midwest. Training also includes information on wood-efficient framing and specialized construction details; the selection and installation of high efficiency heating; ventilating and hot water systems; green building materials; sustainable site design and storm water issues; solar housing design; electrical wiring; and job site efficiency and safety.

In addition to sustainable and low-cost construction, another important component of Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country projects is attention to cultural appropriateness in home design. During some of the initial workshops, it became clear to project coordinators that the standard single-family home was not necessarily the most desirable or efficient model for the tribes. Thus, an emphasis on multi-generational housing design became central to the projects. This type of design typically features a larger kitchen and common space, along with additional bedrooms and bathrooms to accommodate the needs of extended family living together. Multi-generational housing has the additional benefits of being cheaper and more energy efficient than multiple single-family homes, because only one system for heating, cooling, and plumbing is needed, and more space is shared.

More Information:

Green Affordable Housing in Indian Country

http://affordablegreenhousing.org/admin/

The Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership (WRTP)/Building Industry Group Skilled Trades Employment Program (BIG STEP) is one of the nation’s preeminent labor-led sector partnerships. Working with unions, businesses, community groups and the public workforce system, WRTP/BIG STEP has helped thousands of Milwaukee-area workers – often low-income or unemployed women and people of color – grow their skills and find good jobs while also helping dozens of local employers connect to the skills and workers they need.

WRTP/BIG STEP’s Center of Excellence offers workers a wide range of support during their preparation for construction and manufacturing careers, including academic assessments and individualized tutoring for apprenticeship exams; pre-employment skills training and certification; and connections to community organizations that can assist with daycare, transportation, GED preparation, job readiness and other services.

In addition to helping candidates move up the pipeline into its apprenticeship-prep program, WRTP/BIG STEP helps participants find jobs – and succeed in them.  The Center of Excellence maintains a database of apprenticeship-ready workers, and can certify them for construction projects with residential hiring requirements. Once WRTP/BIG STEP participants are placed, the Center of Excellence continues to provide individualized support and evaluation to help apprentices advance in their careers.

This model industry partnership offers a perfect paradigm for green-collar job training. It is no surprise, then, that WRTP/BIG STEP has answered the weatherization challenge posed by the recent infusion of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: how to ensure both the quality of jobs and the quality of work in the traditionally low-end labor market for residential construction.

Working with Community Action Programs and the Laborers Union, WRTP/Big Step plans to bring their experience and skill to the growing market for energy efficiency retrofitting in Southeastern Wisconsin and, hopefully, statewide. WRTP/BIG STEP will apply all of the elements of its successful model to this effort, including:

Initial Assessment and Community Partners
One key to success, according to Associate Director Rhandi Berth, is savvy skills assessment and strong partnerships: “We are able to quickly assess the needs of the people that come through our door – whether they require essential, basic, or technical industry skills. We work with hundreds of local community organizations that refer those that are work-ready to us and provide support for workers we identify as needing help becoming job-ready.”

Employer-Driven Training
WRTP/BIG STEP partners with employers and training providers to offer appropriate curriculum for their students. Their experience in the residential construction sector includes preparing workers for lead abatement and asbestos removal, and for building projects of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). By building on that history and coordinating with appropriate agencies and organizations, WRTP will expand its industry-recognized Entry Level Construction Skills (ELCS) credential to include a weatherization component. The ELCS-Weatherization Certificate will assure contractors that graduates have the skills they need to satisfy the high standards of the program.

Leveraged Resources
WRTP/BIG STEP navigates a thicket of public and private funding systems to leverage training dollars from state, federal and industry sources. WRTP, for example, is an eligible provider for Workforce Investment Act programs; workers can use their Individual Training Account (ITA) vouchers for ELCS training.

Worker Support: Tutoring & Mentoring
WRTP/BIG STEP has developed a model mentorship program to support workers entering the construction industry. It is well known that new workers do better on the job when they have the support of an experienced worker to guide and advise them, but few organizations run successful mentoring programs. WRTP/BIG STEP matches every new worker with a supportive senior worker who serves as a mentor. Mentors can spot early signs of trouble so that WRTP/BIG STEP can find the appropriate resources to help the new worker succeed.

The WRTP/BIG STEP commitment to helping workers enter into lasting careers led to the development of a successful tutoring program for passing apprenticeship tests. The Center of Excellence helps workers gain math, science, and any other skills they need to enter the Building and Construction Trades. Hundreds of graduates have been placed in apprenticeship programs thanks to flexible tutoring schedules and individually tailored curricula.

Labor Partners
WRTP/BIG STEP has a longstanding relationship with the Laborers Union, Local 113, which has a residential construction package rate of about $20 per hour and includes pension and health care benefits. By working with contractors affiliated with the Laborers in residential weatherization, WRTP can offer access to excellent training and support for workers.

Earning an ELCS-Weatherization certificate can be a gateway to a good, long-term job in residential energy efficiency, or it can be the first step on a pathway from residential-sector construction to good jobs on the commercial side, particularly in green building and retrofitting.

For more information, visit: www.wrtp.org