Urgent Aid for Displaced Job Corps Students

Urgent Help Needed for Students Displaced by Job Corps Closure

My name is Crystal, and I am currently a student and big sister figure at the Blue Ridge Job Corps Center. On May 29, 2025, we received devastating news: our program, along with every other Job Corps program nationwide, will be terminated by June 30.

However, just one day later, on May 30, we were told that we have even less time than expected. Our center is now closing on June 4, giving us less than a week to vacate. This sudden and traumatic notice has thrown hundreds of students, many of whom came here to escape unsafe homes, homelessness, poverty, or unstable living situations, into a state of crisis.

Right now, I am caring for about 20 students who will be homeless by June 4. I’ve contacted shelters and emergency housing programs across the region, but all have told me they cannot accommodate us. These students came to Job Corps to improve their lives, get an education, and break generational cycles of hardship. Instead, we are now being forced out with nowhere to go.

I am doing everything in my power to ensure that these young people have a safe, secure place to stay, even temporarily. I’m asking for your help.

We need to raise $60,000 to cover the cost of hotel rooms for 20 students for one month. This would give us time to figure out longer-term housing, reconnect with family or agencies that may be able to help, and avoid the trauma and danger of being out on the streets.

Please understand that this is a low estimate, there are likely hundreds of students nationwide in the same situation. But if we can at least care for this group of 20, we can give them hope, safety, and time to transition with dignity.

Any amount you can contribute will make a difference. Please share this message, contact your local representatives, and support us however you can. These are lives at stake.

Thank you for listening, and for caring.

Crystal Sierra

Student at Blue Ridge Job Corps Center