The Trump administration has made government downsizing one of its top priorities. Many federal agencies and programs have either reduced operations or been shuttered altogether due to cuts, which the administration claims are meant to increase efficiency and fight systemic fraud.
That includes Job Corps, a 61-year-old program which provides disadvantaged Americans a way out of poverty. In May, the U.S. Department of Labor announced it would “pause” operations at most Job Corps centers nationwide by June 30, including in Cleveland.
The initial move set off panic as Cleveland Job Corps’ staff scrambled to help the remaining participants – many of whom were still trying to finish their programs.
Legal challenges have prevented the government's immediate planned shutdown. The program will continue operation pending the lawsuit's outcome.
Among those who would be impacted in Cleveland is Grayson Rauch, 24, who moved from Texas six years ago. He has been in Job Corps working on earning his high school diploma.
“I've never really completed anything, but when I got here, I felt the need to do something with my life,” said Raunch.
He said Job Corps programs give participants a path to stable employment.
“There's one [course that] teaches you how to take care of the disabled people or the elderly,” Rauch said, “and we'll always have disabled and elderly people around to take care of. As long as the human race is around, we're going to have them.”
Students in the Job Corps program live onsite and receive a stipend, meals, transportation and access to other services.
Community leaders said the program’s termination would make Cleveland less safe. Reverend Dr. Larry Macon Sr of United Pastors in Mission said students left without options could find themselves in the streets, where they could be exposed to criminal activity or end up in the prison system.
“There’s danger of them reverting back to problems, such as being involved in violence, shootings and drug deals or becoming incarcerated,” Macon said. “Homeless women who have children could have to depend on negative alternatives to provide for their family.”
Job Corps, Macon said, is important for Cleveland’s minority communities as a means for upward mobility.
Community members also say the program's closure would hurt the city economically. The Cleveland location, on Coit Road, specializes in trades such as carpentry and bricklaying, similar to many other Job Corps centers around the country. Many Cleveland businesses and organizations hire Job Corps students.
Rich Gent, the co-owner of a local manufacturing company that produces machine parts said many trades have an aging workforce and benefit from programs like Job Corps to find younger workers.
“It certainly takes away a very reliable source of students that are nearby, and it just puts more pressure on businesses to look for other avenues to recruit people,” Gent said.
Councilmember Mike Polensek, whose ward includes the center, said cutting the program would result in fewer opportunities for a city trying to revitalize.
"In today's world, we repeatedly hear of the need for vocational and technical programs for youth at risk," Polensek said. "This was that facility for individuals to get the job training skills that they need."
Cleveland’s Job Corps center is one of the 99 in the country run by contractors, who bid for federal contracts to run the facilities. In order to stop the program, the Department of Labor halted the contracts, which forced the locations to "pause" operations as of June 30.
A federal judge ruled on June 26 that the government's actions were a breach of its authority, since Job Corps was created by Congress. An injunction kept the program running during litigation.
The non-affected Job Corps centers are run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Trump Administration has defended the Job Corps contract cancellations, calling it inefficient, with low graduation rates and frequent safety issues. According to data from the Department of Labor, it cost the government on average over $69,000 per participant in Cleveland, while only 38% graduated during the 2023-2024 program year.
Supporters have said that while Job Corps wasn’t perfect, shutting it down entirely was unwarranted.
"There is no one that I'm aware of who is opposed to cutting waste and fraud, but show me where it's at," Polensek said. "If your car needs to be repaired, you don't junk it. You repair it."
Rep. Shontel Brown, whose district includes Cleveland, condemned the move and said the focus should be on improving the program’s effectiveness. And the national Job Corps program disputes the labor department’s data.
Hauch said that while he isn’t at risk of becoming homeless, he is worried about what his future would look like if the Cleveland center closed.
“I'm the child of six, my mother is sick, and I have a mentally disabled brother,” Rauch said. “The most successful person in our family is a DoorDash driver ... I just want to take care of my family.”