Tiny House Community Development empowers women to build better lives

HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — Construction work with power drills and circular saws has long been considered a job for men, but that’s changing. Some women in the Piedmont are putting on their work gloves and safety glasses, getting their hands on power tools, and learning how to make home repairs themselves.

They’re taking classes through the Women Empowering Women with Power Tools Program. An organization called Tiny House Community Development holds the classes with help from the High Point Community Foundation. The classes teach women how to use the tools to build and repair their homes.  For many, it’s the first time they’ve ever picked up a power tool.

“I think they will feel empowered, like the title of the class, and they’ll feel like they can do anything,” says Deanna Vernon, the Development Director for Tiny House Community Development. “And there’s a certain surge of exhilaration that you feel using the power equipment and creating something with your hands, and you’re just like, ‘okay, I can do this. I can do anything now.'”

These classes are open to any woman over the age of 18, but Tiny House is involved in more than just women’s classes. It also offers construction and carpentry classes for certifications for people living in poverty. Vernon says, “they get a national certification and once they take the classes, they can go on to a contractor and get a job at a minimum of $17.50 an hour, so it’s a great program and then it helps lift them out of poverty….And then they can go forth and no longer be homeless. That is the goal.”

Since 2020, Tiny House Community Development has completed more than 10 full courses with 8 to 10 people receiving their certifications. Half of those went to women!

As for the power tool program, women typically meet on Saturdays every month, and they learn to build by creating outdoor products such as raised garden boxes and chicken coops. Tiny House then sells those to support the program.

However, learning to use the power tools means these women can build a whole new world for themselves and their families.

The Women Empowering Women with Power Tools program is taking a break until after the start of next year, but several other projects are underway including construction on a veterans-only community in High Point. You can get more information at https://www.nctinyhouses.com/ .

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