Turning Construction Sites Into Classrooms
How WaterBottle, Requity, and Civic Works Are Building Workers, Homes, and Futures Together
What if vacant houses weren’t just problems to solve, but classrooms full of possibility?
In West Baltimore, that idea is guiding a different approach to redevelopment. At WaterBottle Cooperative, distressed properties aren’t treated as symbols of blight. They’re seen as platforms for opportunity—places where people can learn skills, earn wages, and rebuild both homes and lives at the same time.
Instead of sending trainees into classrooms or simulated training environments, WaterBottle embeds learning directly into live construction projects. They’re repairing real homes that will soon house real families. Active renovation sites become classrooms, where young people from Carver Vocational-Technical High School—through a partnership with the Requity Foundation—and participants from Civic Works’ YouthBuild program work alongside experienced crews.
Because these renovations result in rent-producing housing, trainees are fully integrated into productive workflows. They earn wages, use professional tools, and see the immediate impact of their labor as vacant homes are restored and blocks begin to stabilize. Materials, insurance, utilities, and site supervision are already part of the redevelopment process, making this approach both effective and cost-efficient.
Strengthening the Workforce From the Inside
Beginning in January, WaterBottle is making this model more intentional by adding a full-time Training and Workforce Integration Coordinator. This role will help transform multiple job sites into safe, structured learning environments while also strengthening the cooperative’s existing workforce.
Working closely with Requity and Civic Works, the coordinator will help organize schedules, site access, materials, and training plans across projects. Instruction will focus on core construction trades—such as carpentry, drywall, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing—alongside green building practices like energy-efficient systems and material reuse. Cooperative economics and pathways into worker ownership will be woven throughout the training experience.
Just as importantly, youth will be supported as they move from training into permanent employment, cooperative membership, and, when needed, supportive housing or additional social services.
Alongside the job-site training model, WaterBottle and Requity are launching a new community hub called Java and Joists at a prominent corner in West Baltimore. The space will function as a training floor, creative workshop, and community hub.
Using reclaimed Georgia pine and historic millwork salvaged from neighborhood rehabs, seasoned artisans will train apprentices in advanced carpentry, fabrication, and design. Participants will also learn business skills, cooperative governance, and space management. The site will include a gallery-style showroom, shared workspace for cooperatives, and dormitory-style supportive housing for unhoused youth—bringing workforce development, housing stability, and community life together under one roof.
Looking Ahead to 2026 and beyond
In 2026, WaterBottle expects this integrated model to train 24 students from Carver Vocational-Technical High School and 20 Civic Works youth through hands-on construction and cooperative education. At the same time, existing Appalachian Field Services workers will be upskilled into higher-wage, higher-responsibility leadership roles, strengthening the cooperative from within.
At least 10 program graduates are expected to move into permanent employment and cooperative membership, while the organization maintains its long-standing commitment to hiring from populations facing systemic barriers, with a target of keeping more than 90 percent of hires drawn from those communities.
Housing stability remains a core part of the vision. In 2026, the model will provide six subsidized supportive housing beds for youth, with plans to expand to 12 beds by 2027. Every new renovation will include green retrofits, and the cooperative will formalize its Urban Vacant-to-Net-Zero Retrofit Protocol. Through material reclamation, neighborhood cleanups, and vacant lot maintenance, the work will extend beyond individual buildings to improve the surrounding public realm.
Since 2018, WaterBottle and Appalachian Field Services have supported this work with a data-driven approach. A custom-built platform tracks training outcomes, wage growth, housing performance, construction budgets, and overall enterprise health in real time. In 2026, this system will evolve into a fully coded, enterprise-ready platform that is cooperatively owned and designed for use across cities.
This work is not just about job training. It’s a cooperative pathway. By embedding workforce development directly into real estate revitalization, WaterBottle is demonstrating that it’s possible to rebuild vacant homes, train and employ local youth, advance climate-resilient construction, and create worker ownership at the same time.
