At Our House, Ernest Jordan has gone from peddling drugs in West Baltimore to rebuilding houses and his life.
During his past 18 months at the nonprofit Ellicott City residential school for troubled teen-agers, Ernest has been working 40 hours a week to learn construction skills and spending his evenings studying for his General Educational Development certificate, the equivalent of a high school diploma.
"I was living in the fast lane," Ernest, 17, said yesterday of his past life as he worked on new heating ducts in a historic home on Main Street in Ellicott City. "But I think I really made the right choice coming here. I have learned how to take care of myself . . . and they have taught me a good way to make some honest money," he said.
Founded in Montgomery County in May 1993 and moved to Howard County's Taylor Manor Hospital in July, Our House is a full-time home for the eight youths -- teaching them the house construction trade by day and helping them earn high school educations at night.
In between are basic lessons in life, from how to rent a first apart
ment to conflict resolution to preparing weekly budgets.
"We really want to see these kids succeed," said Richard "Benny" Bienvenue, the executive director and founder. "A lot of these kids had nothing but failures up to now.
"But the very first day they get a set of tools, and within a week they are actually putting up ceilings or walls and learning they can have success," he said.
The youths are referred to Our House by social service caseworkers from area counties, often as an alternative to juvenile detention facilities. But, the youths say, it still was not an easy choice to enter the program.
"I was a little skeptical of coming here, a little afraid of what might happen to me," said Natanjah Beckford, 19, of Washington, D.C. "But Benny was patient with me, putting up with my rebellious act. He's been the father I never had."
Several youths have begun the program and, after a month of work, decided that it was not for them, Mr. Bienvenue said.
The cost for the state or a county to send teen-agers through the program is high -- about $44,000 per youth per year -- but about $8,000 less than the annual expense of incarcerating them, Mr. Bienvenue said.
The program's waiting list has had as many as 30 youths, ranging from 16 to 21 years old. To finish the program, youths must complete the high school equivalency diploma and pass the program's own construction and life-skills tests.
The youths have been working for the past month on a Main Street house owned by Taylor Manor Hospital. Yesterday, Bernie Schulman, who teaches homebuilding skills for the program, proudly pointed out the variety of improvements already completed by the boys. After installing a new furnace and duct work, they've insulated the walls and ripped out rotted floors and ceilings.
Among other tasks yesterday, one group worked together to decide how strong to make a floor that will support a bathtub. In another month or so, the house should be ready for use by Taylor Manor.
In exchange for the space for the program's office and dormitories, the youths' lessons in home construction are applied to buildings throughout the hospital's grounds.
They also are rehabilitating an old dormitory owned by the hospital that will function as the program's permanent living quarters.
"It is really nice to be able to walk away and see something you just did," Ernest said. "Maybe, someday, I'll even be able to build my own home and live in it."
Mr. Bienvenue said he hopes to eventually obtain a piece of property that would be just for the use of Our House, allowing the program to expand beyond eight youths.
"They could use the skills they learn to build their own living quarters and administration building and everything else," he said. The program even could expand to other vocations.
In the meantime, the youths will continue to build and rehabilitate homes, learning in the classroom as well as the real world. "My work ethic. That's really my biggest lesson here," said Kevin Robinson, 20, of Prince George's County. "I know I'll have a job when I leave here."