Colorado high school students begin Habitat for Humanity build in the classroom

Some high school students are helping address Colorado's affordable housing shortage one build at a time.

Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, in partnership with Green Mountain High School, on Wednesday craned a student-built accessory dwelling unit into place at a home in Denver's Villa Park neighborhood.

The 24-by-24-foot, one-bedroom unit was built by students in the school's Geometry Construction program. The ADU was framed at the school over several months before being transported and lifted into place by crane.

The project is part of Habitat for Humanity's broader effort to expand affordable homeownership opportunities across the metro area while giving students hands-on experience in construction and applied math.

Students involved in the program learn geometry concepts through real-world building applications, while also contributing to housing solutions in their community.

Habitat officials said the partnership with Green Mountain High School has grown over time and provides an opportunity to engage students early in the process of community service and skilled trades.

"We started partnering with Green Mountain High School probably 6 or 7 years ago," said Colleen Mentz, director of new construction programs for Habitat for Humanity Metro Denver. "And we learned about this geometry, and we just felt like it was a really good fit in terms of engaging the community at a much younger age. Typically, volunteers who come out to a Habitat site are 16 years old. So, this is an opportunity to get ahold of youth at a very young age and really get them giving back to their community while they are learning geometry skills in a hands-on sort of way."

Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver builds, preserves, and promotes affordable homeownership through partnerships with local governments, volunteers, and community organizations. The organization also focuses on housing repair and aging-in-place initiatives across the region.

More student-built ADUs are expected to be completed through the program in the coming years.