Home Builders Institute Gets Grant for Residential Construction Mentoring Program

Washington, D.C., March 9, 2010 — Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), announced today that it has been awarded a three year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to operate an industry-sponsored mentoring program for underserved, at-risk and court involved youth. The Construction-Coaching Opportunities for Reentry Employment (C-CORE) program will match 5,000 youth aged 16 to 18 with over 1,600 mentors recruited from Home Builders Associations, NAHB Student Chapters, other business organizations and local community.

“HBI has long recognized the need to provide on-going support during the critical post-training period, in order to ensure successful community reintegration, create positive role model relationships and outcomes for youth,” said Fred Humphreys, president and chief executive officer of HBI. “By matching our students with industry mentors, we hope to further strengthen their commitment to a career in residential construction.”

Mentoring will be career focused to help improve job placement and retention in home building industry related careers. In addition to creating positive peer-relationships, the program aims to reduce recidivism and youth involvement in substance abuse, truancy and other high risk behaviors, while improving job placement and retention opportunities.

As with other HBI programs, the program will include student involvement in local community service projects. Local intermediary organizations in 35 locations will facilitate the day-to-day operations of C-CORE under the supervision of HBI Regional Coordinators. The 11 states served by the program are Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, South Carolina and Texas.

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About Home Builders Institute
Home Builders Institute, the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), is dedicated to the advancement and enrichment of education and training programs serving the needs of the housing industry. For more than 35 years, HBI has trained and placed thousands of youth and adults for careers in residential construction, ensuring that America has a skilled workforce today and for the future. HBI offers a range of education, training, job placement and curriculum development programs. For more information, go to www.hbi.org.

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