St. Paul Jobs Corps students move out, face homelessness
Job Corps students being sent home
More than 150 students at the Job Corps campus in St. Paul must leave by Friday after the Trump administration cut the program from next year’s budget, which starts on July 1.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - More than 150 students at the Job Corps campus in St. Paul must leave by Friday after the Trump administration cut the program from next year’s budget, which starts on July 1.
Jobs Corps students ordered to leave St. Paul campus
What we know:
The Trump administration on Thursday announced a "pause" in federal funding to Job Corps, a free vocational training program for low-income teenagers and young adults. The administration said the program, which started in 1964, is not financially sustainable, pointing out its annual cost of more than $1.5 billion. The administration ordered 162 students to move out of their dorms by Friday, leaving many of them facing homelessness – again.
By the numbers:
The administration defended its decision to "pause" operations at the 99 contractor-operated centers nationwide by highlighting the findings of a transparency report. The report found the graduation rate was 38 percent and that the average cost per student stood at more than $80,000 per year. In addition, the administration said the program faced a $140 million deficit in 2024, with a projected deficit of $213 million in 2025.
Students face homelessness – again
What they're saying:
"I was actually homeless," recalled student Hayden Heffner, who recently completed his graphic design training. "The people here have kind of become like family to me, and it hurts a lot seeing everybody kind of being broken up like this."
Other students, like Tyrone Bills, face a more uncertain future. He has not finished his training to work on a railroad, leaving him with fewer options. He plans to return to Florida, where he said he will once again be homeless.
"It was a little bit of a mass panic...." he said of the last week. "You don’t hit the ground running; you just hitting the ground period. Straight homeless – nothing. Just straight into the ground."
What's next:
The administration ordered all students to leave their dorms by Friday. It will cover their travel expenses to return home.