AmeriCorps cuts hit close to home, with program funding ended at the Milwaukee County Courthouse

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May 1, 2025

By Vanessa Swales, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A program that helped many navigate the Milwaukee County Courthouse is one of many Americorps programs terminated under Trump’s presidency (The original uploader was Sulfur at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Many agree that when you enter the Milwaukee County Courthouse, it’s like navigating an overwhelming, concrete maze.

Since 2023, dozens of AmeriCorps members have helped thousands of visitors find the right office or courtroom and get the information they need while at the courthouse complex.

Now, the AmeriCorps grant funding for Milwaukee Justice Center’s courthouse navigator and information desk program has been terminated, after sweeping, national cuts to the AmeriCorps program were ordered by billionaire Elon Musk’s U.S. Department of Government Efficiency.

When Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley first learned of the AmeriCorps cuts through friends on social media, he said he was frustrated at the impact it would have.

[…]

“I think people need to understand that AmeriCorps is giving people the ability to deliver services right here in our own backyard,” he said. “I don’t think that these cuts were fully thought through because of the impact that AmeriCorps has had on our country for the past 30 years.”

Keep reading to learn how more than 400 working for Americorps in Wisconsin have lost their jobs.

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