LANE COUNTY, Ore. – A program that empowers high school students in Lane County to build shelters for homeless people is getting a multi-million-dollar boost in funding.
The “Team Oregon Build” program, originally known as “Constructing a Brighter Future,” is getting $2.6 million from Lane Education Service District and Southern Oregon Service District to expand the program to more districts and schools. The program consists of school districts and organizations that put construction skills to use by letting students build homes and other necessities for the homeless.
In addition to housing shelters, the program also aims to build garden beds, chairs, and picnic tables in wildfire-affected areas. The program, which back in December 2023 had 15 Lane County schools participating, currently has nearly 4,000 students from 39 schools across the state and hopes to build 125 shelters within its first year. Lane Farraster, an eighth-grader at Briggs Middle School in Springfield, builds planter boxes for those in need and said that the program has taught him skills he’ll never forget.
“I think they're good to carry on your entire life,” said Farraster. “We're all going to have a backyard project at some point and construction is a good trade, as well. It's just nice to learn this stuff.”
Everyone Village in Lane County has benefitted from work by “Team Oregon Build” students, with one resident noting that the program opens students’ eyes to what other people go through in life in addition to building valuable and practical skills.
"I think they get a lot out of it in many ways,” said Laura Hart, an Everyone Village resident. “I mean, they're building their skills to flourish in their lives.”