Now, three of his children are in college and he is the proud owner of a fivebedroom house that he helped build as a trainee for Firm Build -- a construction company that teaches people marketable skills.
Seeing people like Saechao climb from government dependency to self-sufficiency keeps Joe Cuellar, administrative manager for the Merced-based nonprofit Firm Build, motivated.
"He's an example of what we're about," said Cuellar, 65, buzzing like a man a third his age. "He's my family."
Saechao is one of 42 housing authority residents who have landed jobs in private industry after graduating from Firm Build.
Started six years ago, Firm Build has provided basic skills to some 400 high school students and 79 housing authority residents. Depending on aptitude, trainees spend between four months and two years in the program.
Working under journey level supervisors who are proficient in plumbing, stucco, framing and electrical work, trainees get mentoring on real jobs.
Firm Build bids on jobs as big as complete rebuilds -- through the city's Housing Rehabilitation program -- to minor repairs. It has also taken on several commercial jobs. The nonprofit is working on four rebuilds for low-income residents in South Merced, and has two more on the drawing board. Next year, the group hopes to complete 12 new houses or rebuilds in town.
Installing a ceiling fan in a small bedroom that smelled like new carpet and fresh paint earlier this month, Saechao said that from laying tile and texturing, to framing walls and basic electrical work, he learned enough skills to enter the job market with more than just a willingness to work hard.
Forming the foundations for careers for at-risk youth and people in public housing is rewarding for Cuellar.
He knows five graduates who have landed jobs and bought houses, and often sees other graduates driving new cars. They wave at him "so as to say thank you," he said.
Besides teaching people a trade, Firm Build also teaches basic budgeting and other life skills, said Cuellar.
Firm Build has a close partnership with Valley Community High School's Workplace Learning Academy and the local building industry.
It was previously a training component of the Merced County Housing Authority, but has since branched off on its own. Firm Build got its start with grant money, but now is almost self-supporting. The firm still has offices at the authority's O'Banion Learning Center, but is planning a new, larger complex on vacant land it recently purchased at the Airport Industrial Park.
The program, which is now training 15 adults and 40 high school students, always has a waiting list.
Trainees are randomly screened for drugs, and if they test positive or if they don't show up for work, they'll be dropped from the program -- just as they would be fired from a real job.
Also like a real job, trainees are paid -- albeit modestly. Pay ranges from the minimum wage of $6.75 to $7.50, but Cuellar said the training can lead to much more lucrative work. The school foots the bill for high school students, while housing authority members are paid by the Merced County Workforce Investment Board.
Last summer, Merced home builder Guy Maxwell put seven Firm Build trainees to work on new homes. For taking in the greenhorns and helping them refine their skills, Maxwell got free labor.
After they graduated from Firm Build, he hired two of them.
"They're teaching some kids without a lot of direction some good skills," he said. "It's a good way for a kid who doesn't know about construction to learn about the industry and get involved."
He also said it's good for employers because they don't have to go through the expense of hiring and weeding out lazy or irresponsible workers.
Cuellar, a one-time real estate broker with a master's degree in urban planning, has held several jobs related to housing and building, including 22 years as a city planner in Fresno and seven years with the Housing Authority in San Jose. That's where he got the idea for Firm Build -- seeing the authority rebuilding homes. There are other programs like Firm Build, but they are not related to the local program.
"All of my experience has been building up to this," he said
Patrick Bowman, coordinator for the Workplace Learning Academy at Valley high, said the partnership with Firm Build bridges training with the real world.
"We're really unique in the way we've been able to merge what happens on the campus with what happens in the building industry," he said. "We really try to structure it so they don't only get the skills, they also get the practical experience of getting a job."
Bowman also sits on Firm Build's board of directors.
Earlier this month, Cuellar stood outside one of the rebuilds. Inside, workers furiously sanded plaster, stirring up chalky dust. He talked about his group's ambitions and the high hopes for expansion.
A nonprofit construction company might sound like an oxymoron. But in Firm Build's case, it makes sense.
"You're not going to get rich doing this," Cuellar said. "You nave to have that burning desire to help people."
Reporter David Chircop can be reached at 385-2453 or dchircop@mercedsun-star.com.
