Former Harborview residents help build new housing in Duluth
Caption: Rebecca Ellenson, exective director of Soar Career Solutions and three Steup-Up apprentices: George Drummond, Malahn Thomas and Pao Vang. All are former residents of Harbor View.By Naomi Yaeger-Bischoff
hillsider@sundogpress.com
Some of the people that had lived in the Harbor View Highland project, which has now been torn down, are helping rebuild housing for themselves and others. The name of this program is the Step-Up Construction Apprenticeship program. Three of these people who work at the Matterhorn construction site (near the Miller Hill Mall) participated in an award ceremony on Aug. 14.
George Drummond, Malahn Thomas and Pao Vang all are former residents of Harborview Highlands. All three were on hand for the award ceremony. George now lives in East Hillside, Malahn lives in Lakeside and Pao lives in Central Hillside.
Before the apprentices could start working in construction they had to take classes in safety and other training including sessions with SOAR Career Solutions. Job skills available to learn include: carpentry, electrical, roofing, siding and others.
Rick Ball, Executive director of the Duluth Housing and Redevelopment Authority said the three are among a dozen who have taken advantage of the program. “Really it is about turning lives around. Giving people new opportunities.”
The Duluth HRA’s Step-Up Construction Apprenticeship program was developed in collaboration with the Duluth Building and Construction Trades Council to provide both a tool for client economic self-sufficiency and a vehicle for contractor Section 3 compliance. This U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) approved apprenticeship program provides employment, job training and career opportunities in the construction industry, primarily for the HRA’s HOPE VI clients.
After his training George worked at Common Ground for 2 ½ years before starting with the Johnson-Wilson Company. Before the Apprenticeship program he was on SSI. Malahn was excited to do the apprenticeship because she always wanted to go into construction. Pao started classes with the apprenticeship in July of 2005. He began on the Matterhorn project in March 2006. He is specializing in carpentry. Pao likes construction because, “It is ever-changing. It is not a mundane thing.”
