- Major cuts to AmeriCorps are leading to the termination of thousands of volunteer and employee positions nationwide, directly impacting nonprofits like the Women's Center of Greater Lansing and Edgewood Village Housing that rely on these services.
- Local leaders, including Rebecca Kasen, emphasize that the cuts will reduce critical services such as legal aid, counseling, and youth programs for underserved communities.
- Some host sites are attempting to retain AmeriCorps workers through the end of their terms, but uncertainty remains as nonprofits struggle to fill service gaps caused by the sudden loss of support.
- In the attached story, I spoke with Maya Crawford who was directly impacted
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
Thousands of AmeriCorps volunteer and employee positions are being terminated across the country, directly impacting organizations like the Women's Center of Greater Lansing.
"We're a low budget non profit and we rely heavily on volunteers so without our vista, we either have to go without certain services or we have to find money that just doesn't exist," Rebecca Kasen said.
Kasen is the executive director of the Women's Center of Greater Lansing. A VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) is part of AmeriCorps, a group of thousands of individuals across the country providing services to organizations like the Women's Center.
"We have 1 vista who is doing her year of service with us and her job is to modernize our volunteer program," Kasen said.
In this volunteer's case, her services include connecting the Women's Center to legal services, counseling and more free of charge.
But all of that changed in late April, when organizations across the country with AmeriCorps VISTAs and employees were notified that major cuts would be made to AmeriCorps, a federal agency that dispatches 200,000 volunteers and provides millions of dollars in services to organizations focused on assisting local communities.
Maya Crawford was on the receiving end of that email.
When asked about her first thoughts upon learning her position was being terminated, Crawford had a surprising response.
"Well 2 days before I got the information I actually got married," Crawford said.
The news that she either had to relocate from her youth program coordinator position at Edgewood Village Housing by May 19 or find a new job was daunting.
"This is not something that just affects the people who are losing a paycheck, it doesn't just affect the host sites that are now losing workers, it affects all the families that are no longer going to be able to receive services or receive reduced services," Crawford said.
Crawford told me that her host site is planning to allow her to keep her job until her full year term is up, similar to what some other local organizations are doing with their AmeriCorps volunteers and employees as they scramble to fill in the gaps that these crucial workers will leave.
"Unfortunately if we don't figure out a solution soon, people are going to start losing services and that's just.. not.. fair," Kasen said.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
