More than 200,000 AmeriCorps volunteers lost their jobs during April’s defunding of federal agencies by the Elon Musk led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Among those forcibly laid off were 25 volunteers working in agencies across Santa Barbara County. On Friday, August 29, the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) re-funded $184 million to AmeriCorps nationwide, of which $11.5 million comes to California.
In Santa Barbara, AmeriCorps operates under the umbrella group, Partnership for Veterans and People Experiencing Homelessness. This group places AmeriCorps volunteers in nonprofits and government agencies that work with military veterans and people needing shelter. Most volunteers serve as case workers, handling required paperwork and finding needed housing. The lead agency for the partnership, Northern Santa Barbara County United Way, receives the funds for AmeriCorps and works with the California Volunteers commission to bring funding and volunteers together.
Lyiam Galo, chief impact officer for Northern Santa Barbara County United Way, said that he had been checking the budget at an internal web platform on Wednesday morning when he was surprised to see that the program had received notice of the funding. According to State Attorney General Rob Bonta, the Trump administration was due to file a response to the lawsuit filed by a coalition of states, that included California, hoping to restore AmeriCorps funding. Instead, OMB released the previously withheld funds…