Some AmeriCorps members had to make quick decisions on their housing, education and employment arrangements after the federal government abruptly canceled funding for their programs.
A local group – the Milwaukee Turners – is sharing its resources with some of Milwaukee’s impacted AmeriCorps members to help them navigate the sudden change.
AmeriCorps cuts
The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency canceled $400 million in federal grants at the end of April for AmeriCorps, the federal volunteerism and service agency, including all 25 AmeriCorps programs through Serve Wisconsin.
To support the Milwaukee Justice Center and Public Allies AmeriCorps staff impacted by the cuts, the Milwaukee Turners are offering fitness, career and counseling resources at Turner Hall, 1034 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave.
“The Turners very much believe that we keep us safe, and we have a lot of solutions to problems that come through our expanded community,” said Emilio De Torre, executive director of the Milwaukee Turners. “And it seems a small matter to do this thing.”
While Public Allies Wisconsin has secured funding through a federal AmeriCorps program, the Milwaukee Justice Center’s AmeriCorps program will be shut down at the end of May, according to Mark Guzman, the center’s AmeriCorps program coordinator.
“This has affected people’s summer service, their education awards, their living allowances and all those things,” Guzman said.
Changes at Milwaukee Justice Center
Milwaukee Justice Center is a free civil legal aid organization located in the Milwaukee County Courthouse and founded by the Milwaukee County Clerk of Circuit Courts, Milwaukee Bar Association and Marquette University Law School.
AmeriCorps members worked the information desk that had been unstaffed and served in the courthouse navigator program to guide clients to the right departments in the right order to get their filings completed, Guzman said.
“Our program actually saw an 81% increase in clients’ confidence that their legal matter was going to be processed the way that they wanted it to be because of that navigation,” Guzman said.
Most of the center’s 20 AmeriCorps members were let go at the end of April. The Milwaukee Bar Association Foundation funded Guzman and three full-time members to stay on through the end of May to wind down the program, he said.
Guzman won’t be able to finish the work he started or use his recruitment materials for the next application cycle.
“It’s just frustrating to put so much time and effort into creating all those things to just have it randomly stopped,” Guzman said.
Many of the Justice Center’s AmeriCorps members needed summer hours to be eligible for an educational credit and had relied on the program’s housing stipend to cover rent, Guzman said.
Even if the lawsuit the state is participating in to block the cuts is successful and members are allowed to finish their service, some already will have moved.
What the Turners are doing
The Milwaukee Turners are offering any Public Allies and Milwaukee Justice Center AmeriCorps staff or members free memberships, which include access to the gym, fitness classes and Turners programs, as well as space to meet and access Wi-Fi at Turner Hall. They also plan to distribute food to members who need it.
De Torre said the Turners have partnered with these organizations over the years and everyone he reached out to was eager to help.
“I think it’s a vital pipeline to future leaders in the county,” he said.
In partnership with Humanities Without Walls, the Turners will host a free career counseling workshop for any AmeriCorps members or staff from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 31 at the Palm Garden room at Turner Hall, 1034 N. Vel Phillips Ave.
“It’s basically like a career values and transitional workshop to help AmeriCorps staff and members navigate what comes next,” said Margaret Nettesheim-Hoffmann, director of the Career Diversity Initiative at Marquette University, which is part of the Humanities Without Walls consortium, and also a member of the Turners board.
Nettesheim-Hoffmann is co-facilitating the interactive workshop, titled “Navigating Career Uncertainty: Values, Resilience and Practical Tools,” with Derek Attig from the University of Illinois.
How to support AmeriCorps workers
America’s Service Commissions is taking donations for an emergency fund for AmeriCorps members with a call to action section. AmeriCorps members who have been terminated from their program can apply for a one-time emergency assistance grant of up to $500 on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Milwaukee Bar Association Foundation accepts donations to support the Milwaukee Justice Center.
To become a member or donate to support the work of the Milwaukee Turners, visit the website.
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
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