REDMOND, OR -- A team of young builders from the Heart of Oregon Corps and the affordable housing nonprofit First Story team up for a special one-day Blitz Build on Wednesday, "They're going to come together and build five more sleeping units for Oasis Village," says First Story Executive Director Claire Duncan, "So, currently there are 15 sleeping units, and we're going to provide five more units." 

She tells KBND News working with young adults benefits Oasis Village and the construction industry, "They're going to get this skill that translates into a future for them when they get out of the program. And for us, that's really exciting because we need as many young people as we can getting into a trade that produces housing."

Duncan says Heart of Oregon and First Story have partnered many times, but this is their first one-day Blitz. The same YouthBuild team has been working on a new home on the south end of Bend since February, "They've been involved in many aspects of the construction, because it's a learning opportunity. The home's like an experiential learning site for these youth to gain the necessary construction skills to get a job in a construction trade when they graduate from the YouthBuild program." That home should be complete in November, and will be turned over to a family who qualified for a zero-percent, zero-down home loan.

For Oasis Village, Duncan says they'll have extra help, "In addition, this YouthBuild is hosting another YouthBuild from out of the area, and we've invited them to join us, to really experience this opportunity. So we're going to have 40 youth joining about 60 [Hayden Homes and First Story] employees, so we'll have a hundred total guests on site, working on the units."

She admits building five cottages in a day is a big undertaking, and says it wouldn't be possible without help from the private sector, "We have a generous donation from the Parr Company of their truly revolutionary framing product called Opti-Frame. And, it's not only more affordable, precise, eco-friendly, it is fast." She says, "At the Blitz Build, all the lumber is pre-cut, it's all pre-measured, it's all labeled. You literally almost build by numbers."

The units will be built at the Heart of Oregon Redmond campus, which is down the street from Oasis Village. Duncan says they'll be moved to the shelter later this year, once finish work is complete. 

Photo: YouthBuild members work on a home for First Story on the south end of Bend, earlier this year. Courtesy of First Story.