Humanim social enterprise Details Deconstruction was featured in this month’s Chronicle of Philanthropy article “Nonprofit Rebuilds Lives by Tearing Down Old Houses.”
From the article:
Unlike traditional demolition services, [Details Deconstruction] recycles or resuses everything possible. And because it is a nonprofit, property owners who use the service and donate salvaged building materials can get a tax break. The venture was started by Humanim, an entrepreneurial social-service charity in the city.
Humanim intensified its social-enterprise efforts eight years ago, when it renovated and moved into a historic building in East Baltimore, a neighborhood where unemployment topped 30 percent.
“When we got there, we were providing job training and job placement, but we realized that it really wasn’t enough,” says Cindy Plavier-Truitt, the nonprofit’s chief business officer. “We also needed to be a job creator.”
The deconstruction business seemed like a good fit because it requires many workers. Details’ 45 employees gain work experience and earn competitive wages and benefits.
Read the full article, here.