Students at Georgetown District High School (GDHS) stood just a little bit taller on Wednesday as they celebrated the completion of yet another tiny home.
The construction of the building was done in partnership with Habitat for Humanity (HfH) and, just like other times, the finished product will go to an Indigenous community in need.
“It feels good to see it done and built,” GDHS student Brad Kerr said. The future electrical apprentice said that it wasn’t just the passion that kept him going, “but more so where it’s going afterwards, to whom it’s going to and the cause.”
Classmate Akshara Vashishtha said she felt very emotional and accomplished. Much like Kerr, she was thinking about who will get to live in the home.
“It felt really fulfilling because now we know that the house is going to someone.”
Vashishtha's aunt is an architect, which inspired her to follow in her footsteps.
The build was part of GDHS teacher Cameron Slessor’s Construction Technology class. Students are made to get their hands dirty using power tools and handling materials needed for a tiny home. This prepares students for a career in the trades or other related occupations.
“Everything that you see on the tiny home like the framing, the siding, subfloors, flooring, drywall, pretty well all of that we've done ourselves,” Slessor told HaltonHillsToday. “I’'ll often see a kid who really likes to frame, and then you really focus in on that framing because chances are they're going to go into framing.”
Habitat for Humanity partnered with schools in Peel and Halton to build five homes for Indigenous communities. The communities are expected to take possession of the homes in August.
HfH designed the partnership to, as their project manager Peter Oliveira says, “seamlessly integrate into the classroom programming that's already currently existing.”
He added: “We really rely heavily on the teachers to make the decision on how they want to run the program.”
Part of the reason why HfH got involved with schools has to do with labour shortages within the trades sector. A 2023 report by the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) found that small businesses in Canada missed out on roughly $38 billion in revenue due to labour shortages in 2022. Small businesses in the construction industry bore the brunt of that loss.
The same report recommends that governments should invest in work-integrated learning in high school to increase youth participation, much like HfH is doing in GDHS. HfH estimates that 256,000 apprentices will be needed in the next five years.
“We know that one of the big challenges with the affordable housing crisis is the lack of skilled trade workers,” CEO of HfH Eden Grodzinski said. “We’re partnering with OYAP programs and co-op programs and that kind of thing.”
Aside from letting students bask in their work, several donors to the program, Halton Hills councillors and other dignitaries were allowed to inspect the hold in an open house.
Awards of appreciation were also handed out to teachers - including Slessor - and benefactors who helped make the program happen. The Co-operators, Meridian, the Skills Council of Canada, Nissan, Grace Lutheran Church in Oakville and CNH were among the donors.
"Obviously, we on this council are very passionate about our students, and we're passionate about housing, and we're passionate about the collaboration and support that you are providing," Mayor Ann Lawlor said at the gathering in the theatre room.
"Everyone deserves a home. We need a bed for every head. Habitat for Humanity certainly has been at the forefront nationally in ensuring that that happens through non-profit initiatives."