Federal cuts hit Columbus program helping better the lives of youth

Yahoo

01-05-2025

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — As of last week, approximately $400 million in AmeriCorps grant funding has been cancelled nationally.
'To see that funding is going away and that we may have to make other decisions that will impact lives is very, very scary,' Adero Robinson, former executive director of City Year Columbus, said.
The cuts, made last Friday, are the latest in the Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) effort to slim down government spending. It has now left programs that rely on that money scrambling to figure out how to continue services.
Ohio grant canceled by DOGE leaves these LGBTQ+ historical markers in limbo
'The first thing I asked was, 'When did serving become a sin?'' Tei Street, former City Year Columbus leader, said. 'And when did helping other people become wasteful? Because supposedly everything is about eliminating waste.'
As the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, AmeriCorps provides funding for organizations that offer community services like City Year. City Year is an education-focused program dedicated to school and student success. According to City Year's national office, it's being impacted by AmeriCorps grants termination at seven of its 29 sites, including Columbus and Cleveland. Many of its members learned the news on Tuesday.
'Kids were crying, corps members who have given their all this year, they were crying. It was a very upsetting day,' Street said.
The cuts could put thousands out of work, and frustration and anger has followed the news.
'I'm not sure where they go and I'm not sure who helps the people that they are serving,' Lourdes Barroso de Padilla, Columbus City Councilmember and former City Year Columbus leader, said. 'I'm not sure how we address some of the critical needs that AmeriCorps members are addressing every single day.'
Ohio museums, art groups hit by DOGE cuts
City Year members do everything from working in after-school programs to getting students ready for college.
'What do you tell young people when you say it's important to give back to your country and to your communities, but you take away one of the mechanisms to do that,' Robinson said. 'One of the ones that's worked.'
Former City Year leaders said the work done by AmeriCorps members in central Ohio has made a measurable difference.
'I got to watch as kids' scores and reading went up as they had city or mentors working with them and coaching them through the reading process,' Street said.
Robinson remembers his time helping young boys in a fifth-grade classroom in Columbus. He ran into one of them years later at the grocery store.
'He said, 'I remember you taught me how to shoot a basketball, and you taught me how to read,'' Robinson said. ''You taught me how to stand up for myself. You taught me all these things,' and I'm like, 'You remember that? That was a long time ago,' and he said, 'I'llnever forget that you spent time with me.''
House Bill 6's repeal, Delta-8 THC among bills moving through Ohio Statehouse
A statement from City Year's national office reads:
We know that City Year is being impacted by AmeriCorps grants termination at seven of our 29 sites: Columbus, Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Sacramento.
We're working closely with the site leadership at those seven locations to support our corps and staff.
Corps service at all other sites in the City Year network remains unchanged and continues at this time.
This is an evolving situation that we are monitoring closely in the days ahead. Our priority is supporting our corps members who serve as student success coaches and protecting their vital work in our schools and communities.
The White House on Tuesday pointed to improper payments reported by AmeriCorps, totaling more than $40 million in 2024 and attributed to insufficient documentation from grantees, calculation errors and miscoded expenses.
'President Trump has the legal right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch,' Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, said in an email.
Trump targets accreditors responsible for Ohio law and medical schools' certification
'Every time we take something away, we leave a gap somewhere,' de Padilla said. 'And who's filling that gap?'
NBC reached out to AmeriCorps' leadership for comment but has not heard back.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.