Youth Apprentice Gardener

Youth Apprentice Position

National Housing Trust (NHT) has been dedicated to creating and preserving affordable housing for almost 40 years. We build, preserve, and finance affordable housing and use that expertise to inform and advance resident-focused solutions to strengthen the broader affordable housing industry.

NHT owns and operates Washington View Apartments located at 2629 Douglass Road SE. As part of our commitment to residents, NHT is working with Building Bridges Across the River and the Collaboration for Equitable Health to launch a multi-year project to address the social determinants of health East of the River. The project is called ViewStrong.

ViewStrong, powered by the Interrupt, is excited to bring a community garden to Washington View. The garden will consist of 16 garden beds that will produce fresh vegetables for Washington View residents at no cost.

Position

We are seeking a Washington View resident to serve as a Youth Apprentice to tend a new set of garden beds on the Washington View campus. This is a seasonal position that begins April 26th, 2025 and ends October 26th, 2025. The Youth Apprentice will be hired by National Housing Trust and will receive training and instruction from the Farm Team at Building Bridges Across the River. The Youth Apprentice will be mentored by the Lead Gardener. We encourage any Washington View resident between ages 15-20 who has an interest in growing food to apply.

This position is DC-based. Due to the nature of the work, this position offers no remote work options. On average, this position will offer 11 hours of work weekly.

Responsibilities

• Water the garden beds as frequently as needed, 2-6 times per week depending on rain, an average of five hours per week.
• Remove grass and other weeds as they emerge, approximately two hours per week.
• Harvest crops as they become mature and bring them to the pantry to wash, weigh and store, approximately two hours weekly.
• Work with Building Bridges Across the River staff one hour per week on planting and garden maintenance. We will choose an hour within the work week (Mon Fri, between 8 : 00am and 5 : 00pm) based on the schedule of the two Gardeners. Candidates should have at least one hour weekly within that time frame when both can schedule to work with the Building Bridges Across the River staff.

Candidates Must Be Comfortable With The Following :

Compensation

This apprenticeship will be paid $22.50 per hour.

Apply for this job. No phone calls, please. Resumes may also be submitted to the Leasing Office.