Rasean had struggled with drug addiction before hearing about Constructing Hope while she was at treatment. She intended to start training with the program before the pandemic, but unfortunately COVID-19 forced her to postpone her plans. She had her second son during the pandemic and started Constructing Hope just two months after […]
During his time at Constructing Hope, Willie faced numerous challenges. He had recently been released from prison and had a newborn son. He even had to bring his son to class with him, inspiring Constructing Hope to start making childcare available for all students. Unfortunately, Willie also lost his mother while going through the program, and he said […]
Gary is now an ironworker at Precision Pre-Cast, working to raise panels for buildings. He graduated from Constructing Hope in fall of 2019 as a Tier 1 graduate, and he’s been working full time ever since. However, Gary faced numerous challenges before he […]
Before Hope joined Constructing Hope, she had no construction experience whatsoever. She was a recovering addict with a criminal record doing janitorial work to pay the bills. Hope eventually heard about Constructing Hope from a neighbor and took it as a sign that she should join the program the […]
Charles was just 17 when he was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. When he was released after 31 years, his felony record and lack of experience were both obstacles as he tried to find work. As […]
Prior to Constructing Hope, Edward didn’t really have a plan for the future. He wasn’t always obeying the law and found himself in quite a bit of trouble. After being released from incarceration and with a felony […]
Flashback to early 2017. Lawrence found himself jobless, borderline homeless and overall not a happy dude. He jumped from job to job when he could get them, and just tried to get from one day to the next.
Lawrence ended up […]
A native of Jamaica, love brought Veral to the United States. He and his now-wife met when she was on a trip to Jamaica.
After moving to Portland, Veral was looking for employment when his wife introduced him to her friend […]
Jani Turner had opportunities growing up. She took those opportunities for granted. Her parents had all but given up on her. After losing her daughters twice to the system, due to her addiction, her parents fought to keep them. It […]
As the son of Taiwanese immigrants, Vic was raised thinking that he had two career options: something in the retail field or to attend college and become a doctor. He didn’t realize there were other options in between, including lucrative jobs in the construction industry that don’t […]
