AutismBC Connects: Nic Robins

Nic Robins is an autistic adult who has been volunteering with Habitat for Humanity for four years. We caught up with him on what it’s like to work on a construction site and what he’s been learning. Check out the bottom of this post to see how you can help bring low-to-middle income families out of the poverty rental cycle.

Hi, my name is Nick Robins and I am 25 years old and I’ve graduated from North Surrey Secondary. I love spending time with my friends and family. I belong to a skiing team on Grouse Mountain called the Blue Streets and I enjoy drawing and painting. I am a very good artist.

I started to work at Habitat for Humanity.  Matt gave me the job and now dad takes me there. I started working there for four years. We start to work in Richmond and when we’re finished there, we move on to the next place in Mission.

We all need to wear safety gear, so we don our work boots and put on our hard hats and strap on our tool belts. When we are there, we just ask what the job is like and then we get the tools we need to get started.

I know a lot about construction. I learned about hammering, sawing, and drilling. We’ve learned about flooring, baseboards, and adding the doors to the house. At the end of the day, we do the walls like painting. I always wanted to become a builder and this work experience was the best.

I like working at the construction site. I help build houses for some other people to live. While we’re in construction, I just met some new builders, so we are about to welcome some new friends. I would tell other people who were interested in volunteering for Habitat for Humanity that you will learn lots about it and it’s so much fun.

Get involved:

Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver’s mission is to bring low-to-middle income families out of the poverty rental cycle through the provision of safe, decent, and affordable housing. We mobilize the community including businesses and individuals to contribute to building these homes through sponsorships, donations, gift in kind product, and volunteerism. Habitat for Humanity is an inclusive, non-profit, non-government organization. There are many ways to get involved. Learn more HERE.

Habitat for Humanity welcomes volunteers from the autism community. As our build site will be completed soon, we are not currently recruiting construction volunteers. However, we have opportunities in our ReStores – North Vancouver, Langley, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, and two stores in Burnaby. Interested volunteers should apply on our website at www.habitatgv.ca/applytovolunteer. There are no specific skills required and training is offered at our stores. Store managers work with volunteers to see where their interests lie and what jobs might be the best fit.