Fifteen unemployed residents of southwest Detroit are now training to become weatherization specialists. The program is run by WARM Training Center and Henry Ford Community College, and is part of Detroit GreenWorks Solutions.

Detroit GreenWorks Solutions provides disadvantaged community residents in southwest Detroit job training and opportunities in the rapidly growing green industries sector, such as weatherization, agriculture and forestry. The program is a consortium of local nonprofit organizations, led by Southwest Solutions. In the next two years, GreenWorks will train and place at least 360 individuals in green jobs.

Dan Torres, 49, is one of those participating in the initial GreenWorks weatherization training. Dan once worked as a supervisor for a pharmaceutical distributor until his marriage and, ultimately, his life fell apart.

Dan had been homeless for three years before getting help from the Housing Resource Center at Southwest Solutions. Dan now receives mental health counseling at Southwest Counseling Solutions and lives in an apartment building developed, owned and managed by Southwest Housing Solutions.

Dan joined the weatherization program because he wants a secure and lasting job. “I want to feel good about myself again and have a good reason to get up every morning and make something of the day,” he says.

In the course of the intensive 10-week weatherization program, trainees learn:

• Insulation and Window Instillation
• Residential Construction Basics
  
• Proper Air-Sealing Techniques
  
• Energy Efficient Basics
  
• Hands-on Power Tools
  
• Saving Energy in Homes
  
• MIOSHA (Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act) Training
  
• CPR and First Aid Certification
  

To learn more about Detroit GreenWorks Solutions, call 313.841.9641 x.363.