By Joe Gose
Jan. 8, 2019
A year ago, Jeromy Gaviola was struggling to find steady and meaningful work in San Francisco. Living in the working-class neighborhood of Hunters Point, he heard about a program that was training residents to build the Chase Center, the $1 billion, 18,000-seat arena in Mission Bay that will be the new home of the Golden State Warriors when it opens this fall.
Mr. Gaviola, 33, applied to the program, was accepted and completed six weeks of training in early September. He then began working at the arena and was recently installing insulation and acoustical ceiling tiles above the Warriors’ practice court.
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Facing a tight labor pool, developers, public officials and community organizations are using commercial projects to provide residents with careers in construction. Together, they’re making an effort to recruit men and women from impoverished neighborhoods or challenged populations, such as former prison inmates. In booming markets like San Francisco, Denver and Miami, where gentrification is squeezing affordable housing, demand for these types of programs is growing.
The training programs are also occurring in smaller markets. In Milwaukee, for example, Gorman & Company, an apartment developer, has teamed up with city, state and community agencies to give former inmates on-the-job training restoring dilapidated, tax-foreclosed homes, which are then rented to low-income earners.
“There’s a very limited number of jobs that people re-entering society can do, but they are key to our success,” said Ted Matkom, president of the Wisconsin market for Gorman. “They can earn a good wage and are motivated.”
In some cases, contractors are required to meet local hiring targets, particularly on big projects that include incentives or are providing a public benefit. Cities and community organizations are recruiting and training workers to help builders meet the thresholds.
In addition to classes, the programs typically provide tools, boots and other equipment to the candidates, and they pay for items such as apprentice application fees, child care and gas. Case managers at the organizations even make sure newly employed graduates receive wake-up calls.
The developers of Chase Center are getting a hand from San Francisco’s CityBuild Academy, a program that has trained about 1,400 workers since it was introduced in 2006. Among other services, the academy provides 18 weeks of training for apprenticeships in partnership with City College of San Francisco. JPMorgan Chase, which acquired the naming rights to the arena, has also kicked in $350,000 to fund special training courses.
To date, those programs and others have provided union apprenticeships to 81 graduates, according to representatives from CityBuild and the National Basketball Association’s Warriors. The workers can make hourly wages of $20 to $30, not including overtime, said Joshua Arce, director of work force development for San Francisco.