Students at Rancho Cielo are learning -- and building micro-homes for homeless and low-income people. [montereycountyweekly.com]

Karen Clemmer 9/1/2112:28 PM

By Celia Jiménez, Monterey County Weekly, August 31, 2021

Everything from how to use a tool to installing drywall has been part of the curriculum for students in the construction academy at Rancho Cielo in Salinas. The nonprofit provides a high school diploma program and vocational training for real-life job skills to young adults ages 16 to 24, in lieu of a traditional academic program.

The construction academy has evolved over the years with the building of transitional housing, a solar panel program and, most recently, building micro-homes from the ground up.

Cecilia Romero, interim CEO at Rancho Cielo, says it started small – the first home students built was 200 square feet. “It was really just something we found on Pinterest,” she says.

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