FLINT, Mich. — The City of Flint has proposed a $25,000 emergency initiative to support students left in limbo by the abrupt closure of the Flint Job Corps Center.
During a June 3, 2025 press conference, Mayor Sheldon Neeley said the city aims to support young people affected by the federal government’s decision to pause contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide.
On May 29, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that the program was set to cease operations by June 30, 2025.
“It was very disheartening to see the abrupt stop of that program, displacing a lot of young people,” Neeley said during the press conference. “But the reality of it is this, we have to move forward. We definitely have to be able to support those individuals that have been negatively impacted.”
In the days following the announcement, approximately 145 students were sent home, and city officials said 10 to 15 students remain in Flint without stable housing.
Since then, a federal judge issued a temporary pause on the closure order, with another court decision expected by June 17. Until then, the status of the program and its students remains uncertain.
“This was just ordered today, but unfortunately, Flint Job Corps shut down already,” said City Council Vice President Candice Mushatt during a June 4 council meeting. “What we do know right now is that…people are considered homeless as of right now.”
During the June 4 meeting, Flint City Council voted to send the short-notice resolution to the Finance Committee, which convened later that evening. The item was then forwarded to the Special Affairs Committee, which is scheduled to meet on June 9.
“We want the students to know that they are not alone, that they have the support of the city,” Mushatt said. “Everything we offer will be free for them, and we will be able to give them a sustainable plan so they are successful and able to move forward in this city.”
The $25,000 in emergency funds will come from the city’s opioid settlement grant, specifically from the 30% that may be used without restrictions. Shebra Ward, the city’s public health manager, said the funds would cover housing through the University of Michigan-Flint, which has agreed to provide four apartments at $925 each for 30 days. Community-based organizations would provide food, health care connections and other basic needs at no cost to the students.
As for the Job Corps building itself, city officials are considering ways to repurpose the North Saginaw Street facility if its lease expires in July. Neeley noted that the city owns roughly three-quarters of the land, which the Department of Labor had been leasing for $10 a year. If the lease expires in July, Flint may explore repurposing the space for youth engagement or other community programs.
Neeley added that the city’s legal department is reviewing the lease terms and that he has a call scheduled with the mayor of Grand Rapids to discuss how other Michigan cities are responding to the closures. Detroit and Grand Rapids are also dealing with the fallout from the federal program’s suspension.
Job Corps, a federal workforce development program launched in 1964, provides job training, education, and housing to young adults ages 16 to 24. Flint’s center, which opened in 1997, is among several in Michigan affected by the pause.
The Department of Labor has defended the decision by pointing to poor performance and safety concerns. On April 25, the department’s Employment and Training Administration released the first-ever Job Corps Transparency Report, analyzing financial performance and operational metrics from program year 2023.
Key findings include:
- Average graduation rate (WIOA definition): 38.6%
- Average cost per student per year: $80,284.65
- Average total cost per graduate: $155,600.74
- Post-separation average annual earnings: $16,695
- Total serious incident reports: 14,913
- Reported inappropriate sexual behavior and sexual assaults: 372
- Acts of violence: 1,764
- Breaches of safety or security: 1,167
- Reported drug use: 2,702
- Total hospital visits: 1,808
“Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,” said Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.”
Flint Beat reached out to Flint Job Corps for a response to the U.S. Department of Labor’s transparency report, but an official said he could not comment.