A nonprofit that helps disadvantaged young people in 18 countries find careers in the building trades is moving to a newly-completed headquarters in Roxbury and rebranding itself to reflect a broadening mission.
YouthBuild recently leased nearly 15,000-square-foot at 1785 Columbus Ave. in Jackson Square, CEO John Valverde said. The nonprofit organization had been located in Somerville’s Davis Square since the early 1990s.
“With COVID exposing all these disparities and issues that YouthBuild addresses, it feels right to be in a community where we can contribute in a different way than Davis Square. It feels like it’s all coming to life in this space,” Valverde said.
The offices will serve as a base of operations for nearly 300 programs around the globe for the organization, which provides classroom instruction and hands-on training programs for economically disadvantaged people ages 16 through 24, most of whom lack high school diplomas.
In recent years, YouthBuild has expanded its curriculum from the construction industry to training in information technology, health care, hospitality, retail and financial planning.
The rebranding, which received financial support from the Schultz Family Foundation, includes a new web site and logo.
The office building, built on a former warehouse and auto body shop, was redeveloped by a joint venture of Horizons for Homeless Children and Watermark Development. YouthBuild’s offices, designed by Stantec and built by Bowdoin Construction, include collaboration and lounge areas, flexible training and meeting rooms, private phone rooms, a cafe and break room.
The YouthBuild Boston program is led by Brian McPherson, who succeeds longtime Executive Director Ken Smith who retired in November. The local program serves approximately 400 students annually.
“As YouthBuild Boston celebrates its 30th anniversary, we welcome YouthBuild USA to our neighborhood and congratulate our young people who played a role in building YouthBuild USA’s new home,” McPherson said in a statement.