The city of Richmond is using local dollars to keep an AmeriCorps initiative that provides community health services afloat through August despite sweeping cuts to the national volunteer work program by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency. 

The cost of continuing to operate the RVA Health Corps between April 25, when DOGE ordered AmeriCorps to terminate almost $400 million in grants, and August, the scheduled end of the program’s year, is approximately $128,000. 

Tamara Jenkins, a spokesperson for the city, said the money will come from matching funds the city budgeted over the past five years for AmeriCorps slots that weren’t filled. 

“Because the grant is in a special fund, we are able to roll it forward to the next program year,” she said in an email. 

Mayor Danny Avula, a doctor and former public health official, called the RVA Health Corps “too important to let go” in a release announcing the continuation of the program. 

The RVA Health Corps trains AmeriCorps volunteers as community health workers who work with groups across the city, including the Richmond Henrico Health District, Bon Secours, Feed More, Crossover Healthcare Ministry, La Casa de la Salud and others. 

According to the city, its 25 members have provided services to over 8,000 Richmond residents in the second quarter of the year alone. 

“Despite federal setbacks, the City of Richmond remains committed to service, workforce development, and community impact,” the city said in its release. “The city will continue working with partners and funders to withstand the AmeriCorps program through the challenges ahead.”

Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org