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Support for Project CRAFT Renewed in Florida
 Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) has renewed for another three years its support for the Home Builders Institute’s Project CRAFT (Community, Restitution, Apprenticeship Focused Training).
“HBI has made a commitment to this program now going on 11 years,” said HBI 2009 Chairman M.M. "Mike" Weiss. “We feel fortunate to be given this responsibility by the department and will continue to provide top-level trade and life skills training to every student under our care.”
The state’s five Project CRAFT sites — in Avon Park, Red Road, Dozier, Orlando and Tampa — will operate under $2.2 million annual grants from the department through 2011.
William Paul, an HBI trustee and a builder/developer in Tampa, has worked closely with Florida legislators to make them aware of Project CRAFT’s benefits to the community and the youths participating in the program.
As part of that effort, Paul met regularly with state representative Frank Peterman, who visited a Project CRAFT site to see its effectiveness first-hand shortly after he was appointed in 2007 by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to head DJJ. Peterman helped to establish that agency while a member of the House Juvenile Justice Committee.
“Secretary Peterman has proved throughout his political career that he genuinely cares about Florida’s young people, and the program’s renewal serves to further illustrate this dedication,” said Paul. “In today’s economic climate where funding decisions are more difficult than ever, I am pleased that DJJ saw Project CRAFT as a program the state could not afford to do without.”
Project CRAFT trains more than 500 youths annually in Florida and over 90% of its graduates are placed in industry jobs, the military or school. As part of their Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT), each year CRAFT students spend approximately 30,000 hours working on community service projects throughout the state.
For more information on Project CRAFT, e-mail Dennis Torbett at HBI, or call him at 800-795-7955 x8908.
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