Project Spotlight: Farolito Senior Community and YDI’s YouthBuild

The groundbreaking for the Farolito Senior Community recently took place, bringing into focus Owner Sol Housing’s incredible community-building efforts. Albuquerque-based Sol Housing is a nonprofit organization specializing in the planning, design, construction, and management of award-winning, affordable communities. Jaynes is the General Contractor on this project, partnering with the architectural firm Dekker.

Above: Groundbreaking ceremony for Farolito Senior Community.

The 82-unit mixed-income community is being built on state land in partnership with the New Mexico State Land Office. Designed for seniors 55 and older, Farolito Senior Community sits across from another Sol Housing and Jaynes collaboration — Luminaria Senior Community. Luminaria Senior Community is a multi-award-winning facility. Sol Housing won the NAIOP Award of Excellence in the Senior / Assisted Living category and the CoStar Impact Award for Commercial Development of the Year.

From their press release on the Farolito Senior Community groundbreaking, Sol Housing mentions that Albuquerque “… has designated the elderly as a priority for affordable housing development. Felipe Rael, executive director of Sol Housing explains, ‘It is an established fact that a significant number of our elderly are housing cost-burdened and losing housing stability.’”

The need for affordable senior housing is critical. Data shows that New Mexico has the 13th-highest percentage of people over 65 and is on track to be fourth in the U.S. by 2030.

The pet-friendly, 80,310-square-foot Farolito Senior Community features a dog wash, dog park, community room, and shared multi-purpose spaces. Joint funding for the Farolito Senior Community comes from the City of Albuquerque, Housing New Mexico, and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the NM Governor’s Office of Housing.

YOUTHBUILD & JAYNES: SEEDING CAREERS IN CONSTRUCTION AT FAROLITO

Above: Jaynes Superintendent Jeremy St. Cyr in a huddle with YouthBuild students.

An interesting element of the Farolito Senior Community project is Sol Housing’s partnership with Youth Development, Inc., or YDI. YDI’s YouthBuild program offers motivated young residents of Bernalillo County, NM between the ages of 16 and 24 with a history of involvement in the juvenile or adult justice system an opportunity to access formal education and employment training for a career in construction.

Youth Development, Inc. is a nationally recognized youth and family service organization. They are a community resource for preschool and child care, prenatal care, alternative education, mental and behavioral health services, homeless assistance, emergency housing, and job training employment assistance.

YouthBuild is a national workforce development program administered by the US Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. It provides education, training, and leadership development opportunities to young people who face barriers to employment. Jaynes sponsors YouthBuild.

Above: YouthBuild participants getting briefed on the Farolito Senior Community project details in the Jaynes project trailer.

YDI’s YouthBuild motto is “Lead. Learn. Earn.” YouthBuild’s pre-apprenticeship program provides occupational certification for youth who sometimes face extreme barriers to employment. In YouthBuild, candidates receive on-the-job training, leadership development, and case management, ranging from child care referral to employment counseling, and transportation. Candidates can earn their high school equivalent, NCCER Construction Certification, and an OSHA 10 Certification, which are especially important in light of the labor and expertise shortage in construction.

Above: Jaynes Superintendent Jeremy St. Cyr briefing the YouthBuild class on the current Farolito Senior Community project phase.

The NCCER Construction Certification is a nationally recognized standard of competency in the construction trade. It demonstrates to potential employers that a worker possesses the necessary skills and knowledge to start a career in construction.

OSHA 10 Certification is a common safety requirement in construction. It shows that a worker has been trained to identify and prevent hazards.

Above: Jaynes Project Engineer Randall Maynard reviewing Farolito drawings with YouthBuild students.

YOUTHBUILD AT FAROLITO SENIOR COMMUNITY

Through YouthBuild, young people facing social challenges can access this efficient path towards a career in construction. The program’s funding comes from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Recently, a group of YouthBuild participants undergoing career training visited the Farolito Senior Community to learn about commercial construction and various career paths in the industry. Jaynes Superintendent for the Farolito project, Jeremy St. Cyr, led the tour after a safety review, discussing what’s happening at the large and active project site. The YouthBuild students had multiple questions about what entry-level jobs are like in commercial construction and how large project teams with various trades collaborate.

Above: Jaynes Superintendent Jeremy St. Cyr in the Farolito project trailer presenting to YouthBuild participants.

The long-term shortage of skilled labor in construction proves that programs like YouthBuild can be incredibly important ways for young people to learn about careers in construction, what skills and certifications are valuable, and the steps required to land well-paying jobs at companies like Jaynes.

In a recent interview, Concha Cordova, Vice President of the education, employment, and training division of YDI, said that YouthBuild is “ … a six-month program that really takes commitment. It takes time, and it takes dedication for them to finish.” She mentions “High school equivalency classes, construction training classes, and then some of those hours are on the work site. They’ll be working with contractors and professional contractors, building affordable housing for low-income individuals.”

For more information on YDI and YouthBuild, please visit their site.

PLEASE VISIT THE JAYNES PROJECTS PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON JAYNES’ COMMUNITY-BUILDING EFFORTS AND CAPABILITIES.