Our House

Since May, 1993, Our House has provided a highly structured 24-hour a day residential job training program for at-risk youth. Our House opened at Camp Bennett in Brookeville, MD, a camp for inner-city children sponsored by the Central Union Mission of Washington, D.C., where trainees learned construction skills on-the-job while spending a year reno... vating and repairing the facility. In July, 1994, Our House moved to the Taylor Manor Hospital complex in Ellicott City, MD, where our trainees helped to repair and re-roof several of the buildings, renovated a dormitory, and even transformed a building used for storage into a seven-office complex. During this time, Our House entered into a partnership with Howard County's Office on Aging in a pilot program known as "Aging in Place. In this program, Our House trainees volunteered to refit the homes of the elderly and the disabled, so they could remain safely in their homes rather than moving into assisted living or nursing home facilities. This program garnered both Howard County and Our House national recognition. Also during ths time, the Maryland Department of Human Resources and the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services urged us to expand to help meet their great need for a program which could help young men aging out of the juvenile system to receive skills training and earn a Maryland High School diploma. Our House raised $2.4 million to purchase and renovate a 140-acre farm located in Brookeville, MD. in Montgomery County, which had been vacant for more than five years and had been severely vandalized. We moved into our new home in December of 2002, allowing us to increase our enrollment to 16, expand our trades program, and start our organic garden.Read More