Everything from how to use a tool to installing drywall has been part of the curriculum for students in the construction academy at Rancho Cielo in Salinas. The nonprofit provides a high school diploma program and vocational training for real-life job skills to young adults ages 16 to 24, in lieu of a traditional academic program.
The construction academy has evolved over the years with the building of transitional housing, a solar panel program and, most recently, building micro-homes from the ground up.
Cecilia Romero, interim CEO at Rancho Cielo, says it started small – the first home students built was 200 square feet. “It was really just something we found on Pinterest,” she says.
They got funds from the city of Salinas through a California Gang Reduction, Intervention and Prevention grant to pay for materials, labor and instruction to build the Pinterest house. Then came an opportunity to make the micro-homes not just a learning opportunity but to serve a real-life benefit: Rancho Cielo partnered with Salinas-based nonprofit R-3 (Rehabilitation, Restoration and Respite), which develops tiny homes throughout Northern California.
Students at Rancho Cielo are now building two units, 400 square feet each, to become part of a micro-home village, where about 300 seasonal workers are living near Hollister.
(Eric Johnsen, CEO of R-3, says upcoming projects include building a village of micro-homes for about 100 people on Preston Street in Salinas.)
The two tiny homes at Rancho Cielo are close to completion. On a visit in mid-August, they still look like empty boxes with various compartments. These compartments are set to become a kitchen, living room, full bathroom and two other small rooms. The units are split in half so they will be easier to transport once they are finished.
The homes are taking longer to complete, two years instead of one, due to Covid-19. “We didn’t have kids on campus for a while,” Romero says. When students came back, they didn’t have a full-time schedule at first.
Arnold Chavez, assistant carpentry instructor, says the only difference between building a tiny home versus a regular home is the size. Despite how large or small the project is, students learn all the foundations of construction. They bring in other instructors to teach them about solar or electric installation and plumbing as they go.
Guillermo Ramirez, a 17-year-old student, says he likes the program because instructors explain everything step-by-step and he has learned discipline and teamwork. The teachers, he adds, convinced him to go to college. Ramirez dreams about having his own construction company in the future.
Gustavo Palacios, construction trainer at Rancho Cielo, says graduating students have the hard skills they need to find a job and improve their communities. “It’s a great opportunity, especially for kids that are so young, to get out there on the workforce,” he says. “Usually people don’t get started until they’re in their mid-20s, 30s.”