 "Photo: Britt Hackemack")
Along the newly constructed Villita Avenida Street in East Austin, a group of young builders unveiled a new energy-efficient, affordable home Friday.
The young men and women helping to construct the home represent American YouthWorks, a program designed to help at-risk, disadvantaged youth gain a high school education and on-the-job training by building "green" homes with local building company Casa Verde.
Noah Mata has been a part of American YouthWorks for two years and worked almost 915 hours on building the house. He plans to use the $2,340 earned from the four-month construction project for tuition at a local trade school.
Certified contractor Andy Pell inspects homes to evaluate their efficiency ratings. Pell bought the newest American YouthWorks home after seeing it would save him approximately $500 per year on his electricity bill.
"The house appealed to me for two reasons: one, it was eco-friendly, and two, it was built by a fantastic program that helps the community," Pell said.
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, which is priced at $130,000, is American YouthWorks' 204th home constructed using energy efficiency standards. The city gave the home a five-star energy rating, the highest efficiency rating.
The house boasts several solar panels, a metal roof designed to last more than 50 years and double-paneled windows to keep out the heat, humidity and cold.
American YouthWorks' Board of Directors Chair Margarine Beaman said one-third of students who enter ninth grade never graduate from high school. The program provides mentors for students, payment for work and scholarship opportunities.
"YouthWorks tries to see that those students don't fall through the cracks," she said.
Councilman Lee Leffingwell said the city of Austin is one of the project's sponsors because the project fits into three of Austin's missions: energy conservation, affordable housing and helping at-risk youth.
Seventeen-year-old Gregorio Ruedas said American YouthWorks has taught him invaluable skills he can utilize to support his wife and child.
"I dropped out at 16, and it opened a lot of doors for me," Ruedas said. "It taught me a trade."
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