Tulsa Tech students training in building trades at Eden Village Tulsa

Tulsa Technology Center students are training for trade careers at the construction site for Eden Village in West Tulsa. 80 students in electrical, masonry and carpentry classes spend Friday working on Eden Village, where another nine small houses are nearly ready for occupancy, all by the formerly homeless.

Brad Johnson, the founder of Eden Village Tulsa, said the student work, all under the supervision of instructors, has saved the nonprofit thousands of dollars over the last year.

"It's been a great partnership and another example of how our community is coming together to help make this happen."

Tulsa Tech Instructor Robert Neil said it's a great benefit for students. "We can mimic several things in the lab setting at school, but we can't match this. There's so many variables out here, there's the dance routine you have at a job site, moving around other trades, and it's impossible to duplicate that," he said.

Eden Village has 25 residents now, and will have 63 when the development is complete in late 2025. Johnson said, "People say they want to solve homelessness, and this will not solve homelessness, but it will for the 63 living here instead of in a car, or the woods, or wherever."