Parents, students protest closing of Detroit Job Corps training center

Students, parents disheartened by shuttering of Detroit Job Corps

Both former students and parents of kids who were part of the Detroit Job Corps center that was recently shuttered spoke out about the closing of a vital piece of support for young people in the city.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - The shuttering of Detroit Job Corps hit both students and parents of kids who were part of the training center hard.

Some made their voices heard Wednesday afternoon.

Big picture view:

Kimberly Smith-Anderson held a sign while marching down Fort Street on Wednesday afternoon. On it read a message she hoped would resonate with those that shuttered a job training center she believed vital to young people.

"Y'all love to talk about saving homelessness, but then you closed the one place actually executing that."

She said she is "devastated" by the shuttering of Detroit Job Corps, which sent home hundreds of students and their belongings this week.

"My son was doing great there, he was really on his way. And I feel like you snatched that from him and not only him, but all of these kids," she said. "Not only did you snatch it, you took some of these kids' homes away."

Part of a protest against the training center's closure, she demanded something be done about the sudden loss of help.

Local perspective:

Among those who were helped by the center was Shania Belcher, who organized the protest Wednesday.

In her eyes, the job corps program had given her hope for a better future.

"Me coming from a low-income home, I don’t have another option, so this is what I’m fighting for," she said. "It was something that was good. It changed lives."

Belcher had planned to attend college and become an early childhood educator - a task she saw only possible with the help of the job corps program.

Now, she sees a new era of activism is necessary to enact changes to prevent the loss of other key social services.

"We are the generation that’s going to speak up so speak up for yourself. You have a voice, use it and, for the youth this is your time and this is your chance to vote. You see what it’s affected from you not voting so vote," said Belcher.

What's next:

FOX 2 was first to report of the program's closure.

According to the Department of Labor, funding for job corps programs has been cut around the country. The reasons cited were a $140 million deficit, graduation rates of 39%, and instances of violence and drug use.

A group of contractors has filed a lawsuit attempting to block the funding cuts.

The Source: Interviews with those who were part of Detroit Job Corps or had children who went through it were used, along with previous reporting for this story.

Detroit