The Corporation for National and Community Service has announced a new program called Operation AmeriCorps, aimed at using national service as the transformative catalyst to address a community’s most pressing local problem.
Through Operation AmeriCorps, tribal and local leaders will identify a high priority local challenge which AmeriCorps members can holistically address in a relatively short period of time (no more than two years). The competition is open exclusively to tribal and local governments, including counties, cities, towns, and school districts; and state service commissions. The proposed solution may be a new initiative, or it may use national service to scale up an existing successful effort. In either case AmeriCorps must be the additive ingredient to achieve holistic change at the local level.
As we embark on our final year to reach the goal of ending Veteran homelessness nationally – and in all of our communities – we encourage local leaders to think about existing capacity and strategies to end Veteran homelessness by the end of 2015 and also consider where additional resources might be needed. Ending Veteran homelessness is a clear, measurable outcome in every community and the strategic use of the invaluable resources of AmeriCorps State and National, AmeriCorps VISTA, and AmeriCorps NCCC members may provide the capacity needed to accomplish the goal.
If your community’s mayor or county executive has signed onto the Mayors’ Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, for example, AmeriCorps members may provide on-the-ground continuity to coordinate and bolster efforts between the Mayors’ Office, Veteran Affairs Medical Centers, other local government offices, and community-based providers. Perhaps your community has benefited from a number of federal or national technical assistance initiatives, such as the 25 Cities Effort or Community Solutions’ Zero: 2016 initiatives. This new program provides an opportunity for AmeriCorps members to deliver the coordination and integration needed to optimize the effectiveness and impact of the efforts. Even if your community has not availed itself of federal or national opportunities, AmeriCorps members may be able to provide the on-the-ground capacity to identify and provide outreach to all Veterans experiencing homelessness.
We invite you to read the fact sheet produced about the Corporation for National and Community Service to find out more about this novel and exciting opportunity. Letters to intent, which are optional, were due on December 29. Applications are due on January 13, 2014. For more information please visit NationalService.gov/Operation-AmeriCorps.