Service terminations by AmeriCorps leave volunteers and community organizations scrambling for alternate support solutions.
By LEKAN OYEKANMI & HANNAH FINGERHUT
WEST COLUMBIA, Texas (AP) - When Hurricane Harvey hit West Columbia, south of Houston, Dan Lee's century-old roof took a beating. Fast forward a few years, and the damage was still visible - until Mosaic in Action came knocking on his door.
This nonprofit, relying on an AmeriCorps community service program, helped more than 450 homeowners across the nation. With their aid, Lee's roof was repaired, and the mold left behind during Harvey was eliminated.
"Before they came, man, I had holes in the ceiling where it got wet and the sheetrock had failed," Lee shared. "I was ashamed of it. They've just been a blessing."
But last month, everything changed as the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dismantled AmeriCorps, a federal agency and 30-year old institution that takes 200,000 volunteers and hundreds of millions of dollars annually. This meant Mosaic in Action's 10-person team would not show up as planned, leading to a loss of almost 2,000 hours of service meant to assist 11 homeowners like Dan Lee.
"You can imagine what it's like to be in your home, never knowing how much rain's gonna come in that day," said Debbie Allensworth, Mosaic in Action's executive director and co-founder. "Without those valuable workers, we just can't do the work."
A Wide Reach, a Far Sweep
This move left scores of communities across the country struggling to cope, irrespective of location or political inclination. Initiatives from after-school programs to veterans' services to natural disaster response are under the cosh amid the uncertainty.
AmeriCorps employs more than 500 federal workers, the majority of whom are currently on leave, and operates on a budget of around $1 billion. Despite bipartisan agreement, it has long been a target of critics, who denounce inflated costs, inefficiencies, and misspending of funds.
"President Trump has the legal right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch," Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, asserted. "Following a federal lawsuit filed by Democratic officials in about two dozen states, the administration finds itself embroiled in a legal battle."
Finding Alternatives, an Uphill Battle
With corps members out of work, organizations, and volunteers are scrambling for alternatives, trying to maintain the now uncertain initiatives. Some southwest states, like West Virginia, have been hit particularly hard, with High Rocks Education Corporation being told to halt its programming partially funded by AmeriCorps.
"Organizations will 100% fold over this," said Sarah Riley, the organization's executive director. "Programs that help kids, grow food, or teach digital literacy are hanging by a thread, and the loss of job opportunities is ill-timed at best."
A Ripple Effect Across Communities
The fringe effects are profound, according to Riley. "All of the kids that they mentored, that was a really important adult in their life who cared about them, who's now gone with no ability to say goodbye," she said. "I don't know how you measure that."
Anna Gibbons, a 23-year-old team leader with AmeriCorps' National Civilian Community Corps, was discharged three months earlier than planned. Having reached out to partner organizations for help following her departure, she and her peers have launched an online fundraiser to keep their work going.
"We weren't ready for our service to end," Gibbons said. "We had the manpower to do it, we just needed the funds."
Meanwhile, central Wyoming's Casper Housing Authority had its plans for an urban farm upended when the promised AmeriCorps team was nixed. With a $20,000 donation from the Zimmerman Family Foundation, the authority succeeded in bringing on the corps members—butonly temporary relief.
"It's not sustainable in the long term," said Volunteer Louisiana Executive Director, Judd Jeansonne, "because those investments historically have been part of the puzzle, not the whole puzzle."
- The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dismantled AmeriCorps, a federal agency that takes 200,000 volunteers and hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
- Mosaic in Action, a nonprofit that relied on AmeriCorps community service program, helped over 450 homeowners across the nation, including Dan Lee in West Columbia, Texas.
- With AmeriCorps' aid, Lee's century-old roof was repaired, eliminating the mold left behind during Hurricane Harvey.
- The loss of AmeriCorps' services has affected communities irrespective of location or political inclination, causing struggle for initiatives like after-school programs, veterans' services, and natural disaster response.
- AmeriCorps employs more than 500 federal workers, operates on a budget of around $1 billion, and has been a target of critics who denounce inflated costs, inefficiencies, and misuse of funds.
- Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, asserted that President Trump has the legal right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch, though the administration is currently embroiled in a legal battle due to a federal lawsuit filed by Democratic officials in about two dozen states.
- Central Wyoming's Casper Housing Authority had its plans for an urban farm upended when the promised AmeriCorps team was nixed, but managed temporary relief with a $20,000 donation from the Zimmerman Family Foundation.
