By Lt. Michael Ramirez
The construction of 60 micro homes for the homeless has begun at the Correctional Training Facility (CTF) in Soledad.
CTF’s Valley Adult Schools’ Vocational Education Department is utilizing carpentry, construction technology, electrical, masonry, construction core, and welding to construct the micro homes.
The program is the result of a partnership with the non-profit group R-3 (Rehabilitation, Restoration, and Respite) and Lowe’s. The home-improvement company is contributing $1.5 million in building materials for the project.
The micro homes will make it possible to provide shelter for those in need while providing the opportunity for CTF inmates to learn skills that can be used to gain employment.
“The micro homes program shows how the community can work together to solve a common problem,” Salinas Valley Adult School Principal Keith Thompson. “It gives the inmates a valuable skill as well as the ability to obtain a job that will assist them from returning back to prison.”
It also instills pride and self-confidence in the people building the homes.
“The program originated at CTF for CDCR and we have a contract for 60 homes,” Thompson said. “It takes approximately six weeks per home to build and we started building homes last week.”
On Tuesday Aug. 13, CTF hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Vocational Education Department site and welcomed guests to see the first completed micro home and tour the facilities where the homes are being built. CTF Warden Craig Koenig introduced CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz who was the guest speaker.
