“Career-tech education and Habitat for Humanity share a common goal: building futures,” she said. “This project allows students to see the direct result of their hard work while addressing the critical need for affordable housing in Clark County.”
For many years, CTC’s construction trades programs, including carpentry, electrical trades and HVAC, have built residential homes, commercial buildings and various community structures by traveling off-site to a build location, according to Barga. But this year, the build is happening on CTC’s campus for the first time by carpentry students, and it will later be transported to its permanent residential location on West Madison Street in New Carlisle.
“Springfield-Clark CTC’s new partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Dayton is a powerful example of what can happen when career-technical education and community come together,” said Springfield-Clark CTC Superintendent Michelle Patrick. “This on-the-job experience gives students an advantage as they enter the workforce after graduation. At the same time, students see the real impact of using their skills to give back to the community in a tangible and meaningful way. For years to come, they will drive by this home and proudly say, ‘I helped build that!’”
Patrick said this idea started two years ago with a phone call to Habitat to see if this was something they could partner to do in Clark County.
“We started to think about different ways we could continue that and give back to this community,” she said. “It was a vision; it was a phone call and today we’re here to kick it off and celebrate with the students and their instructors.”
Habitat secured the funding for the project and CTC’s carpentry program students are building the house, with some guidance from Unibilt, a modular manufacturer.
The Clark County Land Bank provided the site for the project, which will be the fourth home on a piece of property the Land Bank provided for Habitat in New Carlisle, according to Habitat Executive Director Norm Miozzi.
Miozzi said the event was a celebration of one of the solutions to the affordable housing crisis.
“In the years or the months of late of hard work because of the dedication of Michelle, her staff, Habitat staff, and the instructors and students, what we’re about to see is an incredible accomplishment in my mind,” he said. “I want to say thank you to Michelle, all their staff and all the students as being the first group of students to really do this.”
Mentioning this year is also Habitat’s 50th anniversary as an organization, Miozzi said they are continuing their mission focused on bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope.
“Our mission of preserving, protecting and providing affordable home ownership has been in the center of what we do. In those 50 years, Habitat has helped over 65 million people in over 60 countries improve or build the place they call home,” he said.
Unibilt President Greg Barney noted the project’s significance, highlighting the partnership with Habitat for Humanity to create affordable housing while providing students with vital hands-on trade training.
Patrick said carpentry instructor John Schmid helped make the vision “come to life,” and that they couldn’t have done it without the CTC program, which is made up of 46 juniors and seniors.
“We’ve always built a house, at least for the last 40 years here at the CTC and usually that was on site,” Patrick said. “40 years of building houses and they get to be the first ones that walk out of their lab and showcase this skill to all of their peers here at the Career Tech Center on site.”
Carpentry junior Corinna Jackson said CTC prepares you for not only the workforce or college, but also for the future. She said it also plays an important role in strengthening the community.
“The students sitting in our classrooms today are the future nurses, technicians, entrepreneurs and leaders who will serve this very town tomorrow. The support from local businesses, educators and community leaders helps make these opportunities possible. Because of that partnership, students like me are able to grow into capable, responsible individuals,” she said.
Carpentry junior Carson Doogs said one of the most meaningful things they’re doing right now is the Habitat build.
“That means we’re not just practicing, we’re building a real home for a real family in our community. Every wall we frame, every nail we drive is helping create a safe place for someone to live. It teaches us teamwork, leadership and pride in our work because we know that this house truly matters,” he said.
Success for a project of this scale relies on community partners, including the Springfield Foundation and the Crabill Family Foundation.
Lori Boegershausen, director of grants at the Springfield Foundation, said it’s an honor to be partnered with “such an impactful project.” She said funding came from the Robert M. Ferris Fund. Ferris was a constructor in Springfield who worked throughout the community.
“He left a legacy gift to the foundation, so his legacy is now living on through construction trade projects yearly,” she said. “But I think more importantly, when you think about how this fund has been invested and able to generate gifts to the community for over 30 years, we now have the opportunity to see that investment in our future generation with these students.”
Ben McLaughlin, grant manager at the Crabill Family Foundation, said part of their mission is aligned with education and housing.
“There is no better intersection than this project,” he said. “We’re really happy that we could be a part of the program and really happy that the students could gain this experience, and at the end a family is going to get to benefit from this, which makes our community better in so many ways.”
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