Council to vote on Councilmember Helen Willis’ Resolution Tuesday night
In its first meeting since the president signed the “Big Beautiful Budget Bill,” the South Fulton City Council will take up a resolution, sponsored by Councilmember Helen Zenobia Willis, which demands federal accountability for the long-abandoned South Fulton Job Corps campus. The facility once a promised hub of opportunity for young adults, is sitting vacant. The resolution also calls for the full restoration of Job Corps programing nationwide.
In June, Willis, and dozens of Job Corps supporters and participants, held a news conference sounding the alarm. Days later a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction to stop the U.S. Department of Labor from shutting down Job Corps altogether, until a lawsuit against the move is resolved.
The resolution, set for a vote at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, outlines a strong municipal stance on behalf of vulnerable youth and workforce development in the metro Atlanta region. The unfinished Job Corps site, envisioned as a $50 million investment with state-of-the-art dormitories, clinics, classrooms, and training facilities, has sat incomplete since 2019 after the federal government terminated the construction contractor for default. The site remains fenced, abandoned, and deteriorating—symbolizing years of federal inaction.
“This was supposed to be a gateway to success for hundreds of young people every year,” said Councilmember Willis. “Instead, it’s become a blighted reminder of broken promises. We are demanding that the Trump Administration act—either fix it or hand it over so we can put it to productive community use.”
The resolution includes four major directives:
- Urges full restoration of Job Corps program funding in the Fiscal Year 2026 federal budget and expresses deep concern about dismantling programs that serve at-risk youth.
- Demands that the U.S. Department of Labor either complete and reopen the South Fulton Job Corps site or transfer ownership to the City of South Fulton for local redevelopment.
- Supports launching a national public campaign to protect and prioritize youth workforce development and oppose the elimination of the Job Corps system.
- Calls on South Fulton residents and stakeholders to contact their federal representatives, including the Georgia Congressional Delegation, to advocate for action on this issue.
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