While it is still unclear how the cuts will impact all AmeriCorps programs locally, some programs have been eliminated outright and the organizations that rely on the service members are preparing for further fallout.
AmeriCorps members have been a vital part of Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley's workforce for around 15 years.
Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley hosts two types of AmeriCorps service members to build homes.
Members of the AmeriCorps National program come to Eagle County for a term of 10.5 months and make up a critical portion of Habitat for Humanity's year-round construction staff; this year, the two AmeriCorps national members made up 25% of the team. Additionally, a team of National Civilian Community Corps members visits each year to boost winter construction productivity.
"That program has just been so critical to our ability to increase our home-building capacity," said Elyse Howard, Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley's vice president of community affairs and philanthropy. "When we started hosting AmeriCorps members, we were building at Fox Hollow in Edwards, and we were probably building about two to four homes a year. This year, we're building 30."
A team of eight National Civilian Community Corps members served for six weeks over the winter this year, a time of year that Habitat for Humanity struggles to find volunteers. In that time, the team "advanced our construction building timeline by about three months," said Cassie Scales, Habitat for Humanity Vail Valley's volunteer coordinator.
The National Civilian Community Corps members received notice that their terms of service had been terminated while working with Habitat for Humanity.
"When they got sent home very abruptly, I think they were about halfway through their service term," Scales said. "They all had to figure out where they were going to live and where they were going to go."
The AmeriCorps National program has not been canceled as of now, but the Trump Administration's skinny budget released on May 2 would cut funding to all AmeriCorps programming if approved as is.
Habitat for Humanity's AmeriCorps National members serve as construction crew leaders, organizing the plethora of local volunteers who help build homes.
"We can't host as many volunteers on site without our AmeriCorps Nationals," Howard said.
"It's difficult for us to hire construction crew leader staff here because of the cost of living and because the construction workforce tends to be so transient," Scales said. "And because we're a nonprofit, we really can't offer to pay our construction staff quite as much as some of those private builders who are working on the multi-million dollar projects when we're just trying to build simple, decent, affordable houses for our local families."
AmeriCorps National members who have worked for Habitat for Humanity have gone on to work in construction and pursue degrees in architecture. Many have stayed in Eagle County, with one returning to a full-time position with Habitat for Humanity.
Of Habitat for Humanity's three ways of providing affordable home ownership opportunities -- the traditional site build, modular construction and local financing partnerships -- the loss of AmeriCorps assistance will "greatly impact" Habitat for Humanity's ability to rapidly build homes on-site, Howard said.
Losing AmeriCorps service members will not only slow down the process of building homes, it will also increase the cost of the homes if Habitat for Humanity has to hire more construction crew leaders.
"We use volunteer labor to keep the cost of these homes down," Howard said. "So the less paid construction staff we have, the more affordable the home is for the future homeowner."
The Vail Valley Foundation's YouthPower365 hosts AmeriCorps members through its Peak Pathfinders program. The program, established in 2021 in partnership with the Eagle County School District, brings AmeriCorps members to Eagle County to provide academic and socioemotional support to Eagle County students in local schools.
Last year, Peak Pathfinders brought 14 AmeriCorps members to nine schools in Eagle County, working with students from kindergarten through 12th grade. This year, nine AmeriCorps members are serving in Eagle County schools, reaching nearly 1,000 students.
After completing their year of service, some Peak Pathfinders members have stayed on for additional time at Eagle County schools and even become full-time teachers at the district.
"YouthPower365's Peak Pathfinders program is continuing to operate business as usual while awaiting direction from Serve Colorado, which holds our AmeriCorps contract," said Walter Gilles, YouthPower365's AmeriCorps manager, in an emailed statement to the Vail Daily.
"Our current contract term runs through the end of July. AmeriCorps members have been a valued part of our community for the last four years, and we currently have nine members serving nearly 1,000 students throughout Eagle County, providing vital mentoring, tutoring, enrichment, and wrap-around support service," Gilles said in the statement.
The Eagle County School District declined to comment.
"We have not been informed of any AmeriCorps cuts and based on the communications we've had are expecting their services to continue till the end of the school year," wrote Matt Miano, the district's chief communications officer, in an email to the Vail Daily. "While next year is uncertain, we are certainly hopeful that the relationship continues as is and appreciate all the support we've received from them to date."
While Cassie Scales with Habitat for Humanity has moved forward with recruiting AmeriCorps National members to serve starting in the fall, she said she has heard numerous questions from potential candidates about the future of the program.
"It's very up in the air, which is hard for them to plan," Scales said. "(It is) obvious the stress about how this is going to impact them and their service and what they're going to continue to do in the future."
AmeriCorps has historically received bipartisan support; U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse spoke during his town hall in Eagle County in April about partnering across the aisle on AmeriCorps initiatives. For some, that has made the cuts to the program more concerning.
"It's very disappointing to see when there are places where many people find common ground and agreement, it's upsetting to see even those places or those pieces of government be drastically cut," Howard said. "In such a divided world, common ground is important where you can find it. And this program has a lot of agreement on both sides of the aisle. It feels like it's something that could be lifted up instead of torn down."
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