'Heartbreaking,' MoJo reeling after AmeriCorps funding cuts
The Mother Jones Center for Resilient Community saw a majority of their workforce evaporate after critical AmeriCorps funds were slashed by DOGE.
WHEELING, W.Va. — When rumors circulated Friday, April 25 that funding for AmeriCorps–a national service program where some 200,000 people volunteer annually–would be slashed, Ashlie Howard held out hope.
Howard has served as an AmeriCorps VISTA in Wheeling with the Mother Jones Center for Resilient Community, affectionately referred to as ‘MoJo,’ for four years now. The same day rumors swirled, she said she received an email offering her to renew for a fifth, and final, term. With little hesitation, Howard said she would do it.
“This is the longest job I’ve ever held in my life because I’m in recovery,” Howard said. “I’ve kind of made a home here and developed a lot personally here and made a lot of friends.”
On Monday, though, she received word that her VISTA program was terminated. Fighting back tears, Howard reflected on that moment. She came to work like every other Monday when her coworkers broke the news. Howard said she cried throughout the day. “It’s overwhelming and kind of heartbreaking at the same time,” she said.
A community-wide impact…
MoJo offers a wide range of programs targeted largely at underserved populations. Whether it’s helping individuals get their ID, offering art classes and a space for creatives to sell their crafts, or offering employment and financial literacy resources, MoJo’s work is deeply ingrained in Wheeling.
“Our AmeriCorps [volunteers] are integrated in all of our projects and programming,” Kate Marshall, Executive Director of MoJo, said. “Our VISTA [volunteers] specifically do a lot of capacity building, so they not only build rails to run on for our organization, but they also oversee other volunteers so that things can run successfully. They are leaders.”
On Monday, the organization received word that virtually all of their AmeriCorps positions, including their VISTAs, were terminated by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. The group, led by mega-billionaire Elon Musk, eliminated these positions, and thousands more nationwide, because their work “no longer effectuates agency priorities,” the agency said in an email to programs.
The changes could spell disaster for the small nonprofit. The loss of a workforce would be detrimental in and of itself, but Marshall says it could impact their ability to raise funds to support MoJo’s work, too.
“Part of their service was raising funds for the organization,” Marshall said. “One of the requirements of their contract is that they help build not only the capacity in terms of programming but also the financial capacity. It’s just going to have such a drastic impact on the way we’re able to do things.”
A future turned upside down…
The cuts were dramatic and swift. Terminated AmeriCorps volunteers and VISTAs were told to immediately end their service with their organizations. $400 million dollars in grants were rescinded, affecting roughly 41% of the nationwide service program. West Virginia, a state that recruits the most AmeriCorps members annually, saw 200 positions eliminated.
Volunteers are paid a meager stipend to cover their housing costs, and they are able to access healthcare through Medicaid. Now, they, and the communities they serve, face an uncertain future.
Howard said the abrupt cuts were life-altering. She just spent $500 to fix her vehicle’s exhaust and planned to apply for a first-time homebuyer loan in the coming weeks.
“I’m not doing that now because I don’t want to mess that opportunity up,” Howard said of the homebuyer loan. “I don’t know how soon I can get another job or anything like that so it’s just created a lot of uncertainty in all areas.”
AmeriCorps programs, like those at MoJo, have a side effect often unknown to those looking in from the outside: they bring people to communities, like Wheeling, struggling to reinvent itself after decades of economic decline and population loss.
Hannah Hedrick served as one of MoJo’s VISTA volunteers. She’s also from Wheeling. Hedrick moved away for college, but returned to her hometown because of AmeriCorps. Speaking about that experience, she said it was something she had never seen before in Wheeling.
“It opened up this community for me and opened my eyes to the potential of what could be done in a small town in West Virginia,” Hedrick said. “I think that’s what AmeriCorps has done for a lot of organizations around the state, but specifically for Wheeling.”
Hedrick previously worked with Grow Ohio Valley, another nonprofit organization in Wheeling who is facing major cuts to AmeriCorps. She recalled how people from around the country would move to, and often stay in, Wheeling because of AmeriCorps.
“It can’t be understated that AmeriCorps can be a gateway into a community, bringing people that wouldn’t otherwise even consider moving to that area,” Hedrick said. “And for West Virginia, a state that experiences the most brain drain of any other state, it can really mean a lot to pull people back in. Losing that opportunity is going to have long term effects on our community.”
“Targeted ignorance”
The question on the minds of MoJo staff members and former VISTAs is “why?” Why cut these programs? Why give such a short notice? Why target these neighborhood centers that promote economic growth?
Howard reflected on the ‘why,’ saying the cuts are likely due to ignorance.
“I think the biggest thing is that people in those positions [at DOGE] are so out of touch with the tight knit community life because they don’t live it,” Howard said. “They just see words on paper and read a job description. They can’t really connect with it emotionally and they don’t really comprehend what it is that people do.”
While DOGE’s aim is to reduce “waste, fraud and abuse” in government, it’s unclear how AmeriCorps funding falls into these categories. Studies show for every dollar invested in AmeriCorps, between $17 and $34 are returned to communities.
“They don’t really take the time to look into what impact these nonprofits have in the community,” Howard said of DOGE. “Shame on them for not really taking the time to investigate what’s going on or look into it further. I don’t think it’s as innocent as they try to make it seem. It’s like, I guess targeted ignorance.”
For now, organizations like MoJo are still coming to terms with what these cuts mean for their work. The immediate effects are certain–less workers, less capacity, less funding; but, what ripple effects will it have in the communities where AmeriCorps volunteers serve? What will it mean for areas to lose dozens of jobs? What will it mean for cities like Wheeling, desperate for young people, but lacking jobs that they want–jobs that often include AmeriCorps?
Learn more about the MoJo by visiting themojocrc.org.
So, so sorry to read this news. The MoJo is such an important asset to Wheeling.
It’s asinine and mean-spirited for Musk and DOGE to dissolve this program. Thanks for reporting it.