Community Organizing is at Heart of National Service, Underlies 15 Years of LISC/AmeriCorps Work
11 Sep 2008
Ongoing Federal Funding Cuts Threaten Program's Reach
Contact:Stacey Rapp, LISC/Americorps Colleen Mulcahy, LISC Communications |
For Immediate Release:September 11, 2008 |
NEW YORK (September 11, 2008)– Struggling communities and the low-income residents that live there are able to take advantage of high-quality affordable housing, family asset-building opportunities, innovative youth programs, economic development and job training programs thanks to the national service commitment of participants in AmeriCorps, the 15-year old federal program in which volunteers help fuel high-impact community revitalization around the country.
"Community organizing has become a bit of a political cliché in recent weeks, but the reality is that it's a powerful tool for transforming distressed areas into good places to live, work, do business and raise families," commented Michael Rubinger, president and CEO of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), a national force behind comprehensive community development. LISC has infused nearly $9 billion into low-income communities since 1980 to help spur revitalization and has sponsored an AmeriCorps program as part of that effort. LISC/AmeriCorps reaches out to people in the communities hardest hit by disinvestment, blight and crime, offering them the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of their neighbors, Rubinger explained. "These people and the community-based organizations they support are the real agents for change in this country," he said. "AmeriCorps has built a pipeline of experienced, committed individuals that have turned our traditional notion of community organizing into a mainstream, high-impact profession." LISC/AmeriCorps has placed 1,400 volunteers with community organizations in 23 cities to help drive programs that improve the quality of life in distressed areas. But federal funding cuts to the Corporation for National & Community Service, which manages AmeriCorps and other national service programs, threaten to curtail its ability to support volunteers and the work they do. "We hope that as the presidential campaigns move forward, they'll match the rhetoric surrounding national service with a real commitment to making it possible," Rubinger said. The Corporation has faced more than $80 million in cuts over the last five years. "National service in general-and AmeriCorps in particular-is a tremendously cost-effective way to have an impact on communities," he noted. "We get a significant return on the dollars invested. We strongly urge both parties to restore appropriate funding levels going forward to make sure that can continue."
About LISC
LISC combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help community-based organizations revitalize underserved neighborhoods. Since 1980, LISC has raised nearly $8.6 billion to build or rehabilitate more than 230,000 affordable homes and develop 32 million square feet of retail, community and educational space nationwide. For more information, visit www.lisc.org.
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Article Type: Press Release