Camp Fire survivor receives her new home | News

PARADISE, California. – A woman who lost her home in the Camp Fire nearly five and a half years ago is back in Ridge. All thanks to a program that trains people who want to enter the construction industry.

“It was built by wonderful, wonderful, very generous people,” Shirley Andrews said.

Andrews' brand new home was shown to him Friday in Paradise. She says she couldn't rebuild after losing it after the Camp Fire due to the cost of rebuilding until she met the Valley Contractors Workforce Foundation.

It launched hands-on tools and mobile construction training in 2021. The program's goal is to address the need for construction workers to help rebuild homes lost in the Camp, North Complex and Dixie fires .

And today, program participants welcomed Andres into his brand new 760 square foot home.

“For me, this is a great achievement. I discovered trades as a young adult, found a career, stuck with it and learned very well. I was able to raise my family in the trades and know that the trades need new people to sign up and get involved and interested in it, that's extremely valuable, and we need to place those people in the trades so we can continue to build,” said Bill Norton, Valley Contractors Workforce Foundation construction trainer.

One of the grants Andrews received was a defensible space grant from the Rebuild Paradise Foundation, which funded the gravel landscaping.

The Valley Contractors Workforce Foundation also received a $40,000 grant from tool manufacturer Dewalt, which helped pay operational costs and also provided tools to the program.

The construction program will begin on a new site next month with a group of 24 new trainees.