New Duplex Opens Doors for Youth and Community
Built by their own hands, the two-story duplex gives uCC alumni and peer nonprofit graduates access to affordable housing at below 50% of median market rent.
NEW ORLEANS — unCommon Construction (uCC) announced the completion of a 3,300 sq. ft. two-story duplex, built entirely by its high school apprentices over the course of the 2025–2026 school year. The project broke ground in September 2025 and was completed in May 2026.
The 10-bedroom, six-bathroom co-living property will offer affordable housing to uCC alumni, graduates of peer nonprofits, and other community members at between $450 and $650 per occupant per month.
“This is our largest project to date, but perhaps our most meaningful,” said uCC Founder & CEO Aaron Frumin. “Getting a job or continuing your education is only part of the journey to independence. For many young adults, one of the biggest challenges is securing safe, affordable housing while they get established in their careers. This project extends unCommon’s pathways support beyond graduation, creating a resource for alumni and other young people to access high-quality housing at a price they can afford. It’s a natural extension of our mission to continue helping young people build stable and successful futures.”
uCC expects that the ongoing property management for the rental will also become an extension of its programming, offering high school apprentices and alumni graduates opportunities to develop skills and experience related to property management.
unCommon Construction is a 501c3 workforce development nonprofit whose mission is to use the build process to empower youth with the skills, network, experience, and resources to lead the workforce. Through its high school work-based learning apprenticeship, students from different high schools apply to join a diverse team to earn hourly pay and school credit for building a house or another project together. With the revenue from those projects, uCC matches youth earnings with an Equity Award “scholarship” for further education and career opportunities.
Over the course of the school year, uCC’s New Orleans apprenticeship program facilitated 100 paid apprenticeship positions for high schoolers attending 10 public schools, who collectively earned more than $125,000 in pay and scholarships. Youth projects also welcomed nearly 200 industry and community volunteers to work alongside and under the leadership of its high school apprentices. Volunteers came from companies such as Gibbs Construction, Landis Construction, Ryan Gootee General Contractors, Delta Utilities, Airbnb, Lowe’s Home Improvement, and others.
“unCommon Construction has delivered an innovative housing solution that also serves as a model for market-based affordable housing,” said David Hecht, uCC board member and real estate developer. “While deeply affordable to residents, rental income will fully fund the cost to own and operate the property – this development is a sustainable solution to workforce housing.“
The affordable rental property was built without a typical nonprofit subsidy but will still be offered to occupants at less than half the city’s median rent. Construction financing was provided by Credit Human.
“This project reinforces something we’ve believed for a long time: investing in young people is a good investment. By aligning the resources, partnerships, and financing needed to make this project happen, we’ve shown that workforce development can create value not only for the youth who build these projects but for the broader community as well. It’s not just a worthy idea – it’s a model that works and is bankable,” said Frumin.
Studio BKA was the architect for the project’s unique co-living design. “Having different housing options is so important for New Orleans to survive as a working city,” said Ben Allen, co-founder and Principal Architect. “We love opportunities to put our experience and lessons learned in hospitality and custom residential projects toward a project that serves such a deep need. Developing local talent into valuable construction trades is also key to our city’s future, so we cheer Uncommon Construction’s mission any chance we get.”
Additional support for the home’s furnishings came from former Saints player Demario Davis and Tamela Davis. “We love our New Orleans nonprofit family, so hearing that those worlds are connecting to create new opportunities, build leaders, and strengthen communities is truly special and makes our hearts so happy,” said Tamela Davis.
The property will be made available on the PadSplit platform. “With high upfront costs and rising rents, it’s getting more and more difficult for people to access affordable housing,” said PadSplit co-founder and New Orleans native Atticus LeBlanc. “This project combines workforce development and housing, and it’s exactly the kind of innovation we need more of if we’re serious about addressing the housing crisis.”
About unCommon Construction
unCommon Construction (uCC) is a nonprofit that empowers youth with the skills, networks, resources, and experience to lead the workforce. Through their construction apprenticeship program, high school students earn hourly pay, funding awards, and school credits by working alongside a diverse team of peers, educators, and industry professionals to build a house or other construction project. Through hands-on training, leadership opportunities, and professional development, uCC prepares students to succeed in the construction industry and beyond. Since its founding in 2015, uCC has created approximately 650 apprenticeship roles that have collectively earned over $800,000 in net pay and awards. uCC operates in the Twin Cities and New Orleans, where they recently opened the unCommon Campus to expand their programming to adults and youth of all ages and to serve as its Innovation Hub for national replication to new communities. To learn more, please visit http://www.uncommonconstruction.org/, or visit our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook (@uncommonconstruction).