I hadn't thought of the value of positive role models on the children of the HfH families. That's a good point. Contrary to what some of the "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" people seem to believe, boys aren't born with a work ethic. I raised two stepsons through their teen years and know that first hand. Getting to work side by side with construction pros and community members is a great opportunity for a kid, especially a boy without a father in his life.

My father was a carpenter. I remember riding with him around town and he'd point out the buildings he'd help build. He's been dead for almost 30 years but those buildings still stand. By contrast, I'm a computer programmer who does specialty jobs. Little of my work is seen by outside people and none of it will likely survive me. Construction workers most often have a pride in their work that few people will ever know. It’s a good living, too. Right now, it’s getting pretty hard to find many Americans who want to do construction work anymore. Perhaps some of these HfH kids will grow up and enter the construction trade. They could do far worse in life.

All too often, I've seen government provided low-income housing that was trashed by people with no investment in the property. I really doubt that would ever happen with a HfH home. People tend to value what they've earned far more than what they were given, and those HfH families have earned their homes.