Contributed To The Herald
The South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), the Friends of Juvenile Justice and the Central South Carolina Habitat for Humanity officially signed a historic Memorandum of Agreement during a press conference.
This unprecedented memorandum formalizes the project “The House That DJJ Built,’’ partnership, which will enable DJJ youth, ages 12-17, to build houses for those who qualify under the Habitat for Humanity housing program. DJJ’s goal is to broaden services to youth by teaching and educating them about the fundamentals of home construction.
They are planning to launch our “The House That DJJ Built “ project within a few weeks of the signing and have the first house ready to move to the permanent location after Christmas and completed for a spring dedication. The framing for the houses will be built entirely by youth incarcerated at DJJ, with work being done at the agency’s Broad River Road Complex. Youth under DJJ supervision in the community will then help with construction onsite at the permanent location with interior trim, painting, landscaping and adding the finishing touches to the houses. This is a chance for DJJ youth to: (1) receive hands-on experience in the construction trade, (2) gain employability skills, and (3) practice restorative justice – giving back to the community in a meaningful way.
At DJJ, they practice a “Restorative Justice” model. The partnership with Habitat for the Humanity will be DJJ’s largest restorative project to date – involving incarcerated youth in the construction of affordable houses for those in need.
They look upon our partnership with Habitat as building houses, rebuilding communities, and reclaiming youth who are on the brink of re-entering society.
