An “Opportunity to Build”: Center Provides Good-Paying Construction Jobs With an Eye on the Climate Crisis

Bo Tefu | Impact Alameda

Rising Sun Center for Opportunity in Oakland works at the intersection of economic equity and climate resilience to empower youth, women, and formerly incarcerated people looking to reenter society with a steady and sustainable source of income.

Leaders at Rising Sun say their programs help remedy the deep-reaching harm the decades-long War on Drugs caused in low-income communities of color. The solutions the organization provides to its clients aim to restore communities affected by the racist policies that were implemented to support the U.S. government-led War on Drugs, which led to the mass and uneven incarceration of Black and Brown people — as compared to Whites.

“The role of nonprofits is to fill in the gaps where the government or society can’t be directly responsive to the needs of the communities they work in — to repair some of the damage that’s been done, as a result of racist policies and oppression,” said Julia Hatton the president and chief executive officer of Rising Sun.

“Economic equity is such a key piece to leveling the playing field when it comes to wealth building, assets, and opportunity. That is just such a game changer,” she said.

The nonprofit has trained and provided job placement for more than 3,000 people in the Bay Area since it was founded in 1994. The organization’s program participants also raised awareness for climate change in over 52,000 households to help reduce their carbon footprint.

Julia Hatton the president and chief executive officer of Rising Sun

Rising Sun created the apprenticeship program “Opportunity to Build” to train participants in the union construction industry. The organization’s Climate Careers program trains youth under the age of 22 to provide free energy efficiency and water conservation upgrades to homes in their respective communities.

“The core problem that those programs are intended to solve is poverty and wealth gaps, but we also try to look at issues of environmental equity and climate equity and acknowledging how all these things are related as our climate crisis worsens,” Hatton explained.

“If you’re not economically resilient, you can’t be climate-resilient,” she said.

Climate resilience is a pivotal part of the organization’s mission and vision. Environmentalists at Rising Sun are passionate about climate resilience and sustaining the environment because of the harmful impact of climate change on communities of color. The nonprofit uses a three-pronged approach: promoting economic equity, racial justice and climate resilience in communities of color.

“It’s difficult to separate these concepts of equity, justice, and economic advancement, all of those things are closely woven together and they’re compounding issues,” the Rising Sun CEO added.

“The climate crisis is the most pressing issue of our time, but it’s so wound up in the big crises around racial and economic injustice, it’s just all connected,” said Hatton.

“We see opportunities to address these issues all at once through workforce development and job training,” she said.

The programs operate in 10 different California counties, including Alameda County. Each program offers participants mentorship and professional development opportunities that offer a pathway out of poverty. The professional development programs also focus on gender equity since women are underrepresented in the construction industry. Women and formerly incarcerated individuals are exposed to job opportunities in construction that help them earn as much as $31 per hour at the entry-level.

According to Rising Sun data, approximately 55 % of its program participants are women and the number is steadily increasing over time. Leaders at Rising Sun aim to establish an all-female apprenticeship program that creates pipeline opportunities for women starting a career in construction.

“There’s only a handful of other all-female pre-apprenticeship programs in the country. And it’s such a missed opportunity for potential high road high paying jobs that offer family-sustaining wages,” said Hatton.

Additionally, formerly incarcerated people trying to reenter society make up 40 % of the nonprofit’s professional development programs. The programs have a trauma-informed approach that prioritizes the well-being of people who were formerly incarcerated.

“There’s not a lot of good second chance opportunities out there for folks and quality employment is such a crucial part of successful reentry,” said Hatton.

Policies and regulations that restricted access to the underserved communities they were targeting was a major challenge when Rising Sun initiated its programs, the group’s leaders say. However, they were able to strategize and break through barriers, pivot and diversify funding opportunities. That gave them the flexibility to offer participants opportunities in their respective communities which were predominantly ethnic and low-income.

Despite the unanticipated inconveniences of the COVID-19 pandemic, 25 females graduated from Rising Sun’s training program this year. The organization also provided cash assistance, mental and health support as participants sought new job opportunities in construction which was highly impacted by the pandemic.

“We’re working on getting people back to work, addressing barriers, and providing all those support services. We help the people who are already part of our community get back on their feet or stay on their feet,” said Hatton.

“In the meantime, we’re also able to work on program enhancements like revamping the math curriculum, bringing in a new mental health services provider — continual program improvement that we’re excited to roll out this year,” she said.

Rising Sun says it continues to support its participants and plans on expanding its programs to help people transition into the workforce to remedy the hardships accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.