From “Voices for National Service”-
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives will begin consideration of H.R. 1, a Continuing Resolution that will fund the last 7 months of Fiscal Year 2011. The bill will immediately cut $100 billion from the federal budget, shut down CNCS, and eliminate AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Learn & Serve America and the Volunteer Generation Fund.
- The CR will decimate vital services in our communities when millions of Americans need food, shelter, healthcare, job training and educational support.
- Communities are counting on national service participants and community volunteers to meet the increased demand for services.
- The CR will only push unemployment rates up. Unemployment numbers — particularly for young people, veterans and military spouses, older Americans and people of color-remain alarmingly high.
- For Americans who are struggling to find work, national service programs offer participants the opportunity to earn a subsistence-level stipend, develop skills, and create pathways to future employment. Eliminating programs like AmeriCorps will result in jobs lost for the corps members and the staff who supervise them.
- The federal investment made in faith based and community organizations through the Corporation for National and Community Service leverages $799 million in matching funds from companies, foundations and other sources.
- If the House defunds the national service programs, whole organizations will shut down and most will not be able to reopen again even if funding is restored.
This past year, my team of 11 AmeriCorps members at Habitat engaged thousands of volunteers to serve their community. Now, think about the impact of the nearly 600 AmeriCorps members working with Habitat for Humanity throughout the country. And then 85,000 AmeriCorps members with more than 3,000 non-profits throughout the country.
It’ll only take a few minutes of your time, check out these articles here and here. Sign the online petition and call or email your local representative!
