Milwaukee Job Corps campus shutdown leaves participants at risk of homelessness

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The Milwaukee Job Corps Center is pausing operations after June 6, leaving some participants at risk of homelessness. (NNS file photo by Sue Vliet)
Republished from Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service.
A week ago, Khalil Shanklin was introducing newcomers to the Milwaukee Job Corps Center, 6665 N. 60th St.
Now he is one of 130 students having to change their plans for the future, including many who may now have to scramble to find somewhere to live since room and board are a key component of the program.
'I am fortunate because I have a friend from high school who is offering me a job opportunity,' he said. 'But this was a shock to all of us and some people don't know what's next.'
Shanklin said he found out online that the Jobs Corps lost its funding and learned earlier this week that the pause would happen sooner rather than later.
On May 29, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a phased pause in operations for Job Corps centers across the country, including the Milwaukee Job Corps location, which is operated by Horizons Youth Services.
According to housing advocates, participants are at risk of being displaced as of Friday, June 6. In addition, 100 staff members at the Milwaukee Job Corps Center will lose their jobs. The center will cease all operations by June 13.
Center officials have not responded to attempts for an interview.
Shanklin, who practiced welding in the program, said he had expected to complete his certification within two months.
Job Corps is the nation's largest free residential career training and education program for low-income young adults ages 16 to 24, many of whom have experienced homelessness. Since 1964, the corps has trained people in nursing, manufacturing and the trades.
According to a U.S. Department of Labor press release, the program's pause is a result of financial challenges and a transparency report done by the department's Employment and Training Administration that exposed issues like low graduation rates, drug usage, violence and sexual assaults within the program.
According to the report, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act graduation rate at the Milwaukee Job Corps Center in 2023 was 32.6% and there were 125 infractions.
The pause at all contractor-operated Job Corps centers was scheduled to occur by June. 30, but a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order on June 4 that stopped the elimination of the program.
Syreeta Austin, a former full time and current on-call residential adviser, said she understands the pause but is hurt at the impact this will have on the young people.
'I knew something would happen eventually because of the things that were happening,' she said.
She mentioned drug and other issues in Milwaukee.
DeShanda Williams-Clark, chief program officer at Pathfinders, said the group's youth shelter received a call saying the Job Corps had to stop its work and that there would be a lot of young people, ages 16 to 24, that would be displaced. The nonprofit serves youths in crisis.
'Some of those young people who are minors had no guardian to be released to, and some of those young people just had no other alternative housing arrangement at such a last-minute notice,' she said.
IMPACT, a private nonprofit that provides resources to residents in crisis, Pathfinders and other agencies are now partnering with the Job Corps to help the youths avoid becoming homeless.
These groups are going to the campus to provide vulnerability assessments for impacted participants.
'We are going in hopes of avoiding sending people to emergency shelters,' said Kimberly Liptow, coordinator entry manager for IMPACT. 'But we won't be sure of what exact resources are needed until we assess each situation.'
Williams-Clark said Pathfinders is working within a reduced capacity because of cuts it recently faced, but may be able to assist some students who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or at risk of domestic violence.
'The challenge is that there's a priority list based on vulnerability – an ever-growing list of 200 young people that could be facing homelessness and now we'll be adding those people leaving the Job Corps,' she said.
An issue that has come up is storage for young people having to uproot their lives, Liptow said.
'People want to know where they'll put their things, so if you or someone you know has space or resources, that would help,' she said.
Any job or housing opportunities that members can take advantage of would be helpful, Shanklin said.
Austin said, 'Remember it takes a village, the kids will need our help more than ever.'
If you know or meet any of the participants, offer them a meal, she said.
Volunteers are needed in the youth shelter or drop-in centers, Williams-Clark said.
There is also a campaign to save the Job Corps.
This article first appeared on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.