Breaking Barriers Through Deconstruction

Per the Brookings Institute, Atlanta has the worst income inequality in the U.S., and nowhere is this disparity more evident than in Southwest/Westside Atlanta, which encompasses LBC’s six primary service area census tracts. In this historically underserved area, Black residents comprise 70% of the population and redlining, systemic disinvestment, and accelerating gentrification combine to limit residents’ economic mobility. The results are stark: Black residents face unemployment and poverty rates of 14.4% and 30%, respectively–more than four times and three times higher than the rates of 3.4% and 8.5% for White residents. More alarming is the household income gap: while Black households earn a median income of $38,817, White households earn $138,895, three times as much. Addressing these severe inequities requires eradicating systemic barriers perpetuating inequality and limiting economic mobility, including lack of access to quality education, living-wage jobs, and affordable housing. By providing workforce training in both building material recovery (deconstruction) and the reuse of these materials via critical home repairs and energy-efficiency improvements for low-wealth residents, our solution improves housing quality in low-income communities, reduces energy burdens, and creates new career pathways for residents facing economic discrimination and barriers to employment.

Breaking Barriers was conceived as a 4-week paid training program providing intensive classroom instruction and hands-on learning in deconstruction, construction, sustainable design, home energy assessments, and weatherization to underresourced, unemployed, and underemployed adults in Southwest/Westside Atlanta seeking meaningful, living-wage employment. Participants earn valuable certifications, including OSHA and GPRO green building credentials, and graduates leave the program prepared for high-demand jobs in deconstruction, construction, and facility management that offer family-sustaining wages and long-term employment.

LBC and ReBuildATL, the coalition of over 40 organizations LBC formed in 2022, used a community-centered, asset-based approach to develop and launch Breaking Barriers in 2023. Extensive community engagement allowed the public to provide input on how the program could meet demand for employment opportunities while simultaneously improving the condition and performance of existing housing stock in marginalized Atlanta communities, and the coalition fully leveraged members’ deep knowledge of sustainability, community development, education, and the labor market to produce a robust program. The coalition is now seeking to scale Breaking Barriers by offering three trainings per year and expanding the curriculum beyond deconstruction to also provide training in weatherization, home repairs, and energy-efficient retrofits to low-income homeowners. 

Video about the first Breaking Barriers cohort: https://vimeo.com/832914520.

Breaking Barriers currently prioritizes adults in Southwest/Westside Atlanta communities who are facing significant barriers to stable employment and jobs paying living wages. Ideal candidates include individuals experiencing chronic unemployment or underemployment, housing insecurity, addiction recovery, or the long-term impacts of prior involvement with the justice system. LBC and its ReBuildATL partners leverage their deep community connections to recruit and select program participants most in need of reskilling and upskilling. LBC engages qualified organizations and consultants to ensure Breaking Barriers trainees develop marketable skills with broad applicability across jobs and sectors, like jobsite safety, architectural terminology, hand and power tool use, project planning, and general construction skills. Participants receive hands-on training in deconstruction, energy-efficiency and sustainable construction, while also building relationships with our employer partners and gaining access to post-secondary educational opportunities. 

Future sessions will include more extensive cross-training in both deconstruction and construction, with reclaimed materials repurposed by training participants in home repairs for seniors near LBC who are living in unsafe conditions and vulnerable to equity theft. We will also add a 4-week apprenticeship period to help our graduates secure employment by building skills through real-world job scenarios while demonstrating their reliability and work ethic to prospective employers.

Since LBC’s founding in 2011, we have valued collaboration, resource sharing and innovative approaches to problem-solving, as evidenced by our Nonprofit Material MATCH program, which has issued 453 in-kind material grants to 358 nonprofits. LBC’s Reuse Center serves as a strong community-based resource providing thousands of residents and organizations each year access to affordable materials, free educational workshops and open house events to connect nearby residents with resources available through hundreds of our community partners. We regularly conduct surveys and participate in community events across Atlanta, through which we gain feedback and learn how to better serve our stakeholders.

In 2019, having spent years building a broad network of industry partners in construction, design, and real estate development as well as CBOs, institutions of higher learning and local government agencies, LBC’s Executive Director, who has served in this role since 2012, organized learning sessions with over 100 partners to explore growing Atlanta’s deconstruction workforce through a collaborative, asset-based community development model. After pausing in 2020/2021 due to the pandemic, LBC resumed efforts in 2022 and established the ReBuildATL Coalition (lifecyclebuildingcenter.org/rebuildatl), which first developed a values statement to guide the coalition’s work. (tinyurl.com/2hhrbrsr)

With support from a $50,000 EPA grant and intensive participation by members of LBC’s board, LBC and ReBuildATL collaboratively developed and delivered the first Breaking Barriers training in 2023. Community engagement sessions were held in 2023 to design the program’s curriculum and recruitment strategy, with dozens of CBO partners recruiting participants. ReBuildATL reviewed 100 applications and interviewed 40 candidates, with 20 selected. Twelve individuals completed the program, exit interviews were conducted with graduates, and feedback was solicited from program partners. In 2024, the coalition focused on incorporating feedback and increasing the capacity of ReBuildATL members to deliver an expanded and improved program. 

Our Breaking Barriers pilot in 2023 demonstrated how several small nonprofits with limited capacity/resources could partner with academic institutions, industry representatives, and government agencies to collaboratively develop and deliver a comprehensive training program that creates long-term economic stability for participants and their local communities. While our first training succeeded in terms of participant satisfaction, environmental benefits, and employer partner engagement, we found that most employer partners were unwilling to hire candidates until we could add an apprenticeship period. LBC added one graduate to its advisory board and hired two others, while other graduates remained engaged via LBC events and volunteer opportunities. In 2024, we incorporated program feedback, developed a comprehensive plan for improving and scaling the program, and accelerated fundraising efforts. 

In 2023, LBC and ReBuildATL received awards in all three phases of the Department of Energy’s Community Clean Energy Coalition Prize, which provided $205,000 in funding, which covered a portion of expenses for the first Breaking Barriers cohort and enabled ReBuildATL to hire an organizational development consultant who helped us establish a more formalized coalition structure, develop robust governance and accountability processes, and create a sustainable financial model for the coalition, including an equitable compensation structure.

https://www.lifecyclebuildingcenter.org/rebuildatl

https://vimeo.com/761106848

https://vimeo.com/832914520 

Re-X Phase 1 Video: https://vimeo.com/922267746

Re-X Phase 2 Video: http://vimeo.com/1021432944

Numerous workforce development programs focus on the trades and serve historically excluded populations. What distinguishes Breaking Barriers from other programs are its grounding in material circularity and dual focus on individual economic mobility and community revitalization, with trainees building marketable skills as they complete projects that improve housing quality and affordability in their communities. We also designed Breaking Barriers to support women entering male-dominated fields related to building creation, management, and removal. Longtime partner Re:Purpose Savannah’s all-female deconstruction team was selected to teach trainees how to disassemble an entire structure. Including photos of women engaged in deconstruction in our recruitment materials resulted in 50% of our participants being female. Half of our first-cohort graduates were women.

In one week, our first cohort deconstructed a 100-year-old barn, with materials saved for reuse in a future building. Several tons of material were saved from disposal, the historic legacy of the original structure was preserved for future generations to learn from, and our trainees were empowered to accomplish something they previously thought impossible.

We see reuse and deconstruction as key strategies in addressing numerous problems facing underserved communities--equity theft, high energy burdens, lack of access to renewable energy, poor housing quality, and lack of affordable housing. With its combined resources, expertise, and connections, ReBuildATL is well-positioned to sustain and scale Breaking Barriers to serve more individuals and address community challenges. 

LBC’s executive director represents the reuse industry nationally via the nonprofit Build Reuse and is leading a new EPA-funded program to create Environmental Product Declarations for reclaimed construction materials to quantify the carbon reduction benefits of reuse. LBC and ReBuildATL utilize the 100+ member Build Reuse network to learn from those with more established workforce development programs and assist others interested in replicating Breaking Barriers.

The ReBuildATL Coalition’s efforts focus on five of the UN Sustainable Development Goals: 

• 7) Affordable and Clean Energy, 

• 8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, 

• 11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, 

• 12) Responsible Consumption and Production, and 

• 17) Partnerships for the Goals.

These UN SDGs help inform the key performance indicators for the Breaking Barriers program:

• We will conduct outreach to at least 100 potential participants to make them aware of Breaking Barriers, recruiting 20 into each cohort, with an overall target of at least two cohorts per year. In calendar years 2025-2026, our goal will be to train 80 individuals and graduate a minimum of 64 individuals.

• We will increase our graduation rate from 60% to 80%, with graduates receiving employment or an internship within six months of program completion. To support this, a team of Georgia Tech (GT) students developed a training management system to support tracking trainees’ progress toward core competencies and individual-specific training goals.

• In 2025, Breaking Barriers will save at least 300,000 pounds of building materials, making $200,000 worth of usable construction material available for low-income residents and area affordable housing nonprofits.

• We will engage with 100 low-income homeowners annually, with 50 completing applications for home repairs/energy-efficiency retrofits. Each Breaking Breaking Barriers cohort will complete 10 home repair/retrofit projects.

• We will measure the embodied carbon savings generated by reclaiming and reusing construction materials and present this data publicly via industry conferences (e.g., the Living Future Conference and Greenbuild) to educate architectural / engineering / construction professionals about the benefits of material reuse and deconstruction, expanding awareness, investment, and supportive policies. 

LBC is budgeted for ten full-time staff positions in 2025, with three positions currently unfilled. Oversight of ReBuildATL is conducted by nine core member organizations: Ayika Solutions, Celestial Care Solutions, Center for Sustainable Communities, Georgia Tech, Grove Park Foundation, LBC, ReGen Community Advisory, Southface Institute, and West Atlanta Watershed Alliance. Other ReBuildATL members include local government agencies, academic institutions, corporate partners, and nonprofits serving marginalized communities (lifecyclebuildingcenter.org/rebuildatl). To support the development, growth, and efficacy of ReBuildATL, LBC hired a consultant to assist with building a collaborative host network organizational structure, defining strategic objectives, and identifying priority projects.

In 2016, LBC began partnering with Georgia Works! to offer workforce training to men facing barriers to employment. Over five years, LBC trained 60 men in deconstruction, until the pandemic put the program on hold in 2020. After securing a $50,000 job training grant from EPA in 2019, LBC formed the ReBuildATL Coalition in 2022 to empower marginalized communities in Southwest/Westside Atlanta through workforce training rooted in environmental sustainability and racial equity. Following years of pandemic-related delays, Breaking Barriers formally launched in March 2023 with 20 students and ended in April with 12 graduates.

LBC is a community-centered organization working to empower our neighbors in Southwest/Westside Atlanta. More than 70% of the population of our primary service area are African American, as are the vast majority of visitors to our Material Reuse Center. We are committed to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in all aspects of our work. We strive to provide wealth-building opportunities for individuals in marginalized communities facing numerous barriers, including systemic racial discrimination. Every job applicant is evaluated based on their own merits, and we aim to make sure all backgrounds, regardless of race, age, religion, creed, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and gender identity, are included in the process. We also make every effort to hire individuals from the neighborhoods proximate to LBC. Twenty-five percent of both our leadership staff and board of directors are African-American, and thirty percent of our staff live in our local zip code. These individuals have deep connections to our local community and take a leading role in ensuring our programs meet the needs of those we primarily serve. 

Breaking Barriers provides equitable access to jobs in deconstruction and construction, creating an inclusive workforce that reflects Atlanta’s diversity. All 20 participants in our first training were African-American, and 50% were women. ReBuildATL’s partners--including Atlanta Housing Authority, Atlanta Tech, Center for Sustainable Communities, Groundwork Atlanta, Grove Park Foundation, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, and Westside Future Fund--represent diverse backgrounds and are committed to introducing marginalized individuals to skills training and living-wage careers while providing wraparound support for long-term success. These partners are well-established and trusted within their communities, which is critical to our efforts to reach and recruit individuals who are most in need of job training through Breaking Barriers.

LBC’s mission--“strengthening communities through material reuse”--is enacted through 5 interconnected programs:

• Deconstruction and Pickup Services: LBC dismantles or collects reclaimed building materials for reuse by our local community.

• Material Reuse Center: provides low-income residents reclaimed materials at an affordable cost.

• Free Educational Classes: community members learn to tackle home repairs themselves and strategies to reduce energy/water usage, and improve indoor air quality.

• Nonprofit Material MATCH Program: provides free building materials to nonprofits.

• Workforce Development: individuals with barriers to employment learn how to reclaim and reuse building materials.

600 million tons of construction and demolition (C&D) materials are discarded in the U.S. annually. Reusing these materials reduces the need to manufacture new materials, which requires natural resource extraction and generates greenhouse gas emissions during production and transport. Since 2011, LBC has saved 12.8 million pounds of usable material from disposal, served over 46,000 individuals at our Reuse Center, and generated $6.1 million in community savings through discounted material sales and material donations to over 450 area nonprofits. 

With our planet under increasing strain from population growth, the depletion of limited natural resources, increased pollution, and insufficient access to adequate and affordable housing in many communities, building a skilled workforce in deconstruction through Breaking Barriers supports increased material reuse. By creating a more circular, restorative system of material resource management, LBC 1) makes home ownership more affordable and accessible for low-income residents; 2) reduces construction costs for area nonprofits, enabling them to direct more of their limited financial resources into critically-needed programs; and 3) connects disadvantaged residents with education on home improvement/maintenance/performance and living-wage careers through the reclamation and reuse of construction materials. 

LBC’s programs are funded through the deeply discounted resale of salvaged materials (40%), individual/corporate donations (19%), foundation grants (20%), government funding (20%), and other earned income (1%).

LBC and our ReBuildATL partners, are actively seeking grants, donations, sponsorships, and matching gifts and building new partnerships to secure additional resources and help recruit for Breaking Barriers. Over the last two years, LBC has received over $285,000 in grant funding for Breaking Barriers. An organizational development consultant is helping ReBuildATL build a new financial model that includes corporate sponsors and earned income streams (e.g., membership fees, consulting contracts) to create financial stability for the coalition. 

In 2023, ReBuildATL was one of 10 coalitions to receive funding through the DOE’s Community Clean Energy Coalition Prize program. These funds helped LBC and ReBuildATL improve communication and coordination, develop shared values and goals, build community engagement, and further develop workforce training to include energy-saving home improvements for marginalized communities.

In June 2024, LBC, with Georgia Tech (GT) and ReBuildATL members, received a DOE Phase 1: Re-X Before Recycling Prize for the ReUse-NLT initiative, one of 20 awards nationally. This project will salvage 2X4 lumber from film sets (enough material to build 2,000 homes annually) to convert it into modular panels and other construction products for affordable housing. We will expand Breaking Barriers to include film set deconstruction, panel/product fabrication, and opportunities for trainees to help build affordable housing with the ReUse products. The Phase 2 application is pending.

In August 2024, GT and LBC submitted Re-SuRGE (ReBuilding a Sustainable, Resilient, Green Economy), a $14M EPA Community Change grant proposal. Re-SuRGE strategies include workforce development programs for occupations that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants, growing Atlanta’s circular economy, increasing access to affordable housing, and the creation of community resiliency hubs. While Re-SuRGE was not funded, GT is now helping LBC develop proposals for smaller-scale pieces of this overall vision, including an upcoming EPA Thriving Communities grant.

LBC is applying for an Inspire Award to strengthen and expand ReBuildATL and Breaking Barriers by deepening our engagement with employer partners who contribute resources, capabilities, expertise, and networks that help meet the coalition’s and program’s goals. Specifically, we propose using Inspire Award funds to add a 4-week apprenticeship period to Breaking Barriers. 

During the apprenticeship, LBC and other employers in construction, residential remodeling, energy-efficiency retrofits, deconstruction, and facility management will provide on-the-job training, helping trainees choose a career path, build relationships with employers, and co-create a support system for long-term success. Inspire Award funds would provide the resources necessary to cover the cost of trainee stipends (est. $12/hr) during the apprenticeship period and help expand the Breaking Barriers curriculum to implement critical home repairs for seniors living on fixed incomes in Atlanta’s historically excluded communities. Trainees will receive hands-on experience making repairs, from simple fixes to remedying safety hazards and code violations, weatherization improvements, and energy-efficiency retrofits using reclaimed materials. In some instances, trainees may help to prevent residents from losing their homes. 

An Inspire Award would also help attract more support for Breaking Barriers and ReBuildATL’s efforts by increasing awareness of how our approach combines resource efficiency, environmental stewardship, and economic justice for underserved populations. A broader base of support will be required to accomplish our longer-term goal of increasing access to renewable energy in marginalized communities by generating more sustainable, low-cost materials to address housing deficiencies that prevent low-income residents from being eligible for solar power.