FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Rebuilding Together East Bay Network is a Finalist for the East Bay Economic Development Alliance Innovation Award
Berkeley, CA – February 24, 2025 – Local non-profit Rebuilding Together East Bay Network has been named a finalist for the prestigious 2025 East Bay Economic Development Alliance (EBEDA) Innovation Award in the Community Impact category. This recognition highlights the organization’s groundbreaking Big Skills Program, which equips construction trades apprentices and high school students with essential construction skills while simultaneously addressing housing needs in the East Bay. The winners of the 2025 EBEDA Innovation Awards will be announced at a special ceremony on March 27,2025 at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland.
“We are honored to be recognized as a finalist for the EBEDA Innovation Award,” said J.W. Frye, Chief Executive Officer of Rebuilding Together East Bay Network. “Our Big Skills Program not only teaches young people hands-on skills for lifelong careers but also delivers tangible solutions to families in need of housing. This initiative represents the power of innovation in community development—bringing together education, workforce training, and housing solutions in a meaningful way.”
The Big Skills Program trains students in the trades by building real homes placed with real families. The Program constructs all-electric, fully-equipped 8’x20’ small home Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), and provides students comprehensive training on all aspects of the build. Students participate in the complete construction of ADUs from framing to finish, learning carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, roofing, project management, and more equipping them with job-ready skills, in the different trades, and creating pathways to careers. The completed ADUs are then donated or sold at or below market value to families at risk of displacement, providing them an asset that generates rental income, and placing new units of housing in a region where affordable housing remains a pressing issue.
The East Bay Economic Development Alliance Innovation Awards celebrates organizations that drive economic growth and positive change in the East Bay. As a finalist in the Community Impact category, Rebuilding TogetherEast Bay Network stands out for its innovative program that addresses workforce development, housing creation, and community preservation in a self-sustaining model.
Rebuilding Together East Bay Network (RTEBN) is a local non-profit organization that preserves affordable homeownership and revitalizes our community by providing free rehabilitation and critical repairs to the homes of income qualified seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities as well as community facilities that serve low-income neighbors. For more information about Big Skills and other RTEBN programs go to RTEBN.org
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