overcome opioid use and other substance use disorders. Participants increase their quality of life, self-esteem and self-efficacy, recovery capital, and confidence in staying substance free. As AmeriCorps members, individuals also build their own Recovery Capital and maintain sobriety. The program builds a pipeline of individuals prepared to work in the recovery field after service; members receive training toward Peer Recovery Specialist certification. The misuse of and addiction to opioids is a national health crisis, inflicting tragedies of personal loss as well as harm to the economy, from healthcare and the criminal justice system to wages and productivity. Treatment, however, is only the first step in a lifelong process of recovery. Successful recovery starts with immediate and evidence-based treatment, but requires ongoing support to rebuild what was lost— something which Recovery Corps programs are well poised to provide.
Partnerships with Other Federal Agencies In 2013, President Barack Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum to create the Task Force for Expanding National Service to engage more Americans in results-driven service; expand economic and educational opportunities for those who serve; enhance federal agencies’ capacity to achieve their missions and more efficiently used tax dollars; and build the pipeline of Americans ready to enter public service. Chaired by the CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, the Task Force developed strategies to expand national service in collaboration with 13 participating federal agencies and the private sector. AmeriCorps developed funding relationships with other federal agencies in which national service funds provided by AmeriCorps were matched by other federal agencies or the private sector to create new AmeriCorps positions to address pressing challenges.
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Examples include: FEMA Corps, a unit of the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), engages full-time AmeriCorps NCCC members in disaster response and recovery efforts. FEMA Corps has strengthened the nation’s disaster capacity, prepared young people for emergency management careers, saved taxpayer dollars, and led to more efficient business practices to serve disaster survivors. FEMA Corps continues today. School Turnaround AmeriCorps, a partnership between the Department of Education and AmeriCorps, engaged more than 2,500 new AmeriCorps members in lowest-performing schools to boost student academic achievement, attendance, high school graduation rates, and college and career readiness. Resilience AmeriCorps: This partnership between AmeriCorps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality, engaged AmeriCorps VISTA members in helping communities plan and implement efforts to become more resilient to the impacts of extreme weather, disasters, and climate effects. Other interagency corps were developed to advance STEM and computer science education, restore public lands, and connect at-risk youth with mentors and career opportunities. In total, more than $194 million was invested in this approach, resulting in 10,000 new AmeriCorps positions. In many instances, states have used a similar approach to develop funding relationships with other state agencies utilizing state and federal funds to create new service year positions that address critical state priorities.
