Ada County students learn skills with project to help Idaho veterans

As housing structures, they are unquestionably small, tiny to be specific. Built through a gigantic effort, these two tiny homes will serve a huge purpose.

Constructed through a partnership between the Idaho Veterans Chamber of Commerce and the West Ada School District, the housing units will be donated to veterans in the fight against homelessness and to help provide workforce housing.

“It’s awesome knowing the work we have done will help veterans,” said Carlo Bertagnolli, a senior and one of dozens of local high school students who, for the past two years, helped build the two houses as part of the construction pathway option in the district’s Career Technical Education (CTE) program.

“So many have done so much for our country. We are so proud to be able to contribute on our side with this program,” he added.

Dubbed Operation Freedom Crossroads, all parties involved, the students, the chamber and even the Idaho Associated General Contractors (AGC) are all lined up on the same side for this worthwhile project.

“AGC does a lot of workforce development projects, they wanted to build tiny homes and we wanted to help pay for them,” said Dr. Mindi Anderson, the chamber’s founder and executive director.

In what has now become a two-year building process, each of the homes will be donated to a veteran or spouse of a veteran working in the farming sector to provide a workforce housing option. Following a selection process that closed Feb. 1, and with more than 20 applications received, the chamber is expected to complete its review of applicants and make a determination on awarding the homes in early March.

Eligible recipients must be a veteran or the spouse of a veteran and must be actively involved in farming, ranching or another type of agricultural operation that would benefit from on-site housing, in this case a tiny house.

“Land is hard to come by, so this will go toward them having some form of affordable housing that they can utilize to hire a ranch hand to assist with their business,” Anderson said.

But for any veteran or spouse to be awarded a tiny house, the homes must first be built.

Measuring eight feet by 20 feet, or 160 square feet, these tiny, mobile structures, built onto a specialized trailer, and requiring specific recreational vehicle (RV) specifications, will be outfitted with proper insulation and fully equipped with utility hook-ups for water, plumbing and electricity.

Each mobile unit will be furnished and include a kitchen, bathroom and a sleeping area. Because they are mobile, the units can eventually be moved to other locations if necessary.

“Unlike a typical RV, or recreational vehicle, there are no storge tanks, but the homes are built to have water and electrical utilities hooked up,” said Trevor Nelson, a CTE construction instructor who is overseeing the project for the school district.

“The units have heat, so it’s just like a typical house, but smaller and mobile.”

A veteran of the construction industry and with 12 years of experience teaching the tricks of the trade under his belt, the whole concept of building a tiny house with students was even new to Nelson.

“There is definitely a learning curve. I helped start this project after we went to California for a weeklong training,” he said. “This is far different than a typical residential home.”

For a frame of reference, Nelson and a cohort attended the training that focused on the concept of how to build tiny homes. The plan between the district, the chamber and AGC soon got nailed into place.

For Nelson, the trip to the West Coast provided him a curriculum, plans, materials list and how-to videos. “It timed out really well from the point that we took the training. And then we were told about this project to build the tiny homes, so it lined up right at the same time for us to do this.”

However, what the training didn’t provide for this unique project was patience, something he has developed on his own.

“I didn’t think it would take that long. Originally, we thought we could produce about two tiny homes a year,” Nelson said. “There is the learning curve and the challenge of building these outside with students, the weather and elements.”

In this unique program, winter weather impedes progress, while summer heat means students are on vacation. Such factors are also impacted by a revolving crew of students who enroll in the CTE program with hopes of learning the construction trade.

“Going through the program, the students need to home in on the skills they’re learning and apply them,” he said. “People make mistakes when they are building, but kids make more. So, it’s a lot of practice and repetition for the students in the building process.”

From Brian Cleland’s perspective, time, patience and the learning required to build the homes are all key components of the process. As the industry partnership liaison for West Ada, Cleland, who served two decades in the U.S. Air Force, understands how to follow methodical, by-the-book policies and procedures.

And he knows the end result is worth the wait.

“As a retired veteran, I believe anytime we can give a veteran an opportunity to get back on their own feet, and the chance to move forward, it’s definitely a big deal,” he said.

Including the price of the trailer, and materials secured through various donations, each tiny home costs in the ballpark of roughly $40,000.

“The trailer for the home is the most expensive part,” Anderson said. “These cost more due to their unique specifications that require hand-crafted work to meet the needs of the home.”

“Getting the trailers built and the process did take a couple of years,” Cleland said. “But we all agreed this is a great project, serves a great function, a passion project if you will.”

According to Nelson, about 50 students who have come through the CTE program during the two-year building process have worked on the homes. And while the labor is technically free, the passion the students have shown to support those who have served their country is priceless.

“These tiny houses have turned out so great, it’s really a blessing to be a part of this,” said Isaiah Mathews, a senior in the CTE program who, not only expects to purse a construction trades career, but intends to enlist in the Air Force upon graduation. “All of us are so proud of the work we have put into this, knowing these houses will go to veterans. We’re grateful to have the opportunity.”

This type of team-first attitude is exactly what Nelson hoped to instill in his students building the tiny homes.

“These kids are definitely excited to do something like this for the community,” he said. “But I also want them to learn to work with the team, to take pride in their work, learn new skills, whether they go into the trades or not. These are life skills and learning to work with others.”

As the chamber’s navigation services director, Scott Brown knows a bit about service as well, having traveled the world during a distinguished 20-year career with the U.S. Marine Corps.

One of his newest duties is overseeing housing needs and solutions for the agency, which includes working closely with the district on the tiny house project.

“The partnership we’ve established with West Ada has been terrific,” Brown said. “I think we are doing a great deal of good for veterans in the community. And giving these students an opportunity to develop hands-on skills has been huge.”

Eventually he hopes to use this vital partnership as a model for other school districts, with a goal to expand throughout the Gem State, particularly in Idaho’s rural areas where he feels veterans are underserved.

“The highest concentration of our veterans is here in the Treasure Valley,” he said. “But there are those who certainly need help outside of our valley in more rural areas, and that is where we are looking to get into.”

With nine years connected to the school district’s CTE program, Cleland knows the value of using students to foster a good cause such as helping veterans.

“The old saying that the rising tide raises all boats is true,” he said. “The cool thing about education is we don’t have to compete with each other. We can simply work with each other.”

And the end result is a win-win situation for veterans in need, and students who are learning valuable skills and life lessons at the same time.

“Ultimately we want them to produce a good, finished product, one that not only looks good but functions well,” Nelson said. “As an instructor, it’s really nice to have a program like this that is so meaningful. And it’s worth getting behind our veterans who have served our country.”