Flood Recovery & Resiliency: Creating training and service opportunities in the wake of natural disasters
When the historic flooding occurred this past summer, Serve Learn Earn partner ReSOURCE was hit hard at their facility in Barre. Their resale marketplace and YouthBuild classrooms were decimated with over a foot of mud. Per capita, Barre was hit hardest and had more FEMA homeowner funding requests than any other community in Vermont. With a tremendous effort from staff and significant financial investment, ReSOURCE Barre recovered; motivated by the deep desire to reopen to serve their community in need.
Reflecting upon that moment, our partners began to think about how Serve Learn Earn could learn from, and prepare for, the next climate-related disaster. Leading our coalition, ReSOURCE pitched a flood-rebuilding project in collaboration with Barre Up and the Vermont Community Foundation. Across SLE, we made plans to complete 24 rebuilding projects over the next 18 months; providing critical services to families in Barre, as well as providing valuable training and skill development opportunities for participants in our building trades programs. Participants will earn industry-recognized credentials such as OSHA-10, hands-on experience on real projects, and the skills to work with community partners and homeowners. ReSOURCE’s YouthBuild students from Barre and Burlington, VYCC’s Advanced Build Crew, as well as a crew of SLE alumni will all contribute to the project this summer and fall.
The first project is beginning in mid-February and we’ll share more updates and stories from this project soon.