Boston – On Thursday, September 27, YouthBuild Lawrence celebrated the completion of a new home built by YouthBuild participants with the assistance of apprentices and journey worker members of Plumbers Local 12.
“When we got the call from YouthBuild Lawrence Director April Lykowsky to help out with the plumbing installation”, said Rick Carter, Plumbers Local 12 Training Director, “we jumped at the chance to give back to the Lawrence community and to support the YouthBuild program.”
Located at 189 West Street, in Lawrence, the single family home was built on a lot once littered with garbage and yard debris. YouthBuild purchased the lot from the City and constructed the home at a cost of $150,000. The 1,996 square foot, four-bedroom, home is handicap accessible and constructed to meet LEED standards for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability, It will be sold to a low- income, first-time homebuyer.
The celebration also recognized YouthBuild’s receipt of a $1.1 million, 3-year grant from the US Department of Labor to continue to provide educational and vocational training and career development services to out of school and unemployed 16 to 24 year olds. Congresswoman Niki Tsongas made the check presentation at the site of the new home to a crowd of city officials, residents, representatives
of Plumbers Local 12, YouthBuild graduates, and members of the Board of the Lawrence Family Development Education Fund, YouthBuild’s parent organization.
The 189 West St. home joins 20 other affordable housing units built by YouthBuild Lawrence since its founding in 1996.