Members of the Milwaukee Christian Center’s YouthBuild program were removed from their worksite when news broke that the program’s AmeriCorps funding was terminated.
“They were supposed to do a service project in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood on a park space, and we had to pull them off that worksite as we figured out what was going on with our funding for that,” said Andrea Grittner, director of development and communications at MCC.
The YouthBuild program was created in 2005 and helps young adults aged 18 to 24 move toward family-sustaining careers, particularly in the trades. Many of the young adults who participate in the program have experienced challenges being connected with employment, Grittner said. As part of the program, YouthBuild members construct homes that are then sold to families with low incomes.
On April 25, the Trump Administration terminated federal grants for all Serve Wisconsin AmeriCorps programs. Serve Wisconsin is Wisconsin’s AmeriCorps agency and state Board for National and Community Service. It administers federal AmeriCorps funding to organizations in the state.
Over the following weekend, the MCC received official notice that its AmeriCorps funding for the YouthBuild program had ended. For the current YouthBuild cohort of 21 young adults, AmeriCorps was contributing $223,000 to support its nine members. The other 12 are supported through funding from Employ Milwaukee.
“It was really heartbreaking to actually see that impact the young people that we serve and the staff that we serve in our community directly,” Grittner said. “We had fear that this was coming, but to actually see it impact our young people was kind of a shock and a scary situation.”
Employ Milwaukee, Bader Philanthropies, Northwestern Mutual, Zilber Family Foundation and the City of Milwaukee have stepped up to help fill the gap created by the loss of AmeriCorps funding.
“They do amazing work, and hearing that the AmeriCorps funding now is going to be gone, our strategy is to look at our set of resources and understand those gaps and be able to step in and fill in,” said Julie Cayo, interim chief executive officer for Employ Milwaukee. “As the workforce development board serving Milwaukee County, we have a lot of resources, and we’re able to help when things need to pivot, or when projects need a little boost or assistance to be able to stay in place.”
It’s Employ Milwaukee’s “greatest wish” that MCC can continue to do its work, Cayo said.
“We’ll do everything possible to make that happen,” Cayo said.
While support from partners will allow the YouthBuild program’s current cohort to graduate on Aug. 31, the future of the program remains uncertain. MCC is planning for possible scenarios, “but it’s likely that it’s going to be a reduced cohort” in the future, Grittner said.
“We’re trying to figure out, how do we support the full cohort of 21 individuals, or does it become something smaller as needed?” Grittner said. “Our partnership with Employ Milwaukee is vital to ensuring that we’re able to provide the YouthBuild program to any young adults, because right now, their funding is still accessible at this time.”
Having smaller cohorts in the future would mean fewer people can get the support they need through the program, Grittner said. YouthBuild supports young people with job fair opportunities, resume building, networking events with local companies, skill training and more. A reduced cohort size would also mean that the YouthBuild members would build fewer homes each year at a time when there’s a need for more affordable housing in Milwaukee.
“They do these nice community service projects, where they do this stuff at no cost to help beautify our community as well,” Grittner said. “They also build those homes. It’s huge programs like YouthBuild that are supported through AmeriCorps that benefit everyone in the community, and these cuts will significantly impact the lives of the young people that we serve and the community overall.”
Federal funding changes have also affected MCC’s other programs. In March, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cancelled deliveries to food banks, including Hunger Task Force. MCC’s food pantry is supported by Hunger Task Force, which saw a halt in $615,000 worth of food, according to WISN Channel 12 reporting.
“These cuts just have significant impact on our community and the most vulnerable individuals in our community,” Grittner said. “These programs are really impacting young people and the folks that have the most challenges to overcome. We’re working diligently with partners and other community members to try to make sure we meet the needs of our community the best way we can as funding is being reduced.”
