DOGE cuts yank AmeriCorps volunteers bound for Casper Housing Authority project

CASPER, Wyo. — Mere hours after speaking with a team leader for 10 AmeriCorps NCCC volunteers in preparation for their scheduled Friday arrival in Casper, the Casper Housing Authority learned by email that their mission would be postponed effective immediately.

“I got it around 4 on Tuesday afternoon, and initially it was shock, just kind of feeling sick,” said Casper Housing Authority CEO Kim Summerall-Wright. “We were sitting here ready to go; they were supposed to be here in a couple of days.”

Over the next six weeks, 10 young volunteers were planning to help the CHA, CHA CARES and Urban Thistle Farm build their ongoing community garden and market project, located in the old playground area at the former North Casper Elementary School.

Urban Thistle farm manager Jamie Purcell said the team would provide invaluable assistance in finishing the build on three geodesic domes, constructing water systems for the garden beds ahead of next month’s planting season, help with seeding, and assist with beautification projects such as touching up murals and painting the buildings.

Kim said that another group of AmeriCorps volunteers helped the agency last fall with their community gardens project. “The last time we had them, it was 10 folks and they each worked 40 hours per week for six weeks, so that’s a lot of manpower through AmeriCorps,” she said.

The CHA helped provide housing, but the group was mainly self-sufficient, including a van, team leader, their own food supply and bedding. The work they did was intended to last at least a century, said Kim, helping to ease a food desert situation in that area.

The postponement comes a day after the agency was visited by the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, led by billionaire industrialist Elon Musk. The Trump administration has been slashing federal agencies and funding since taking office earlier this year.

The unexpected postponement of AmeriCorps projects was first reported by the New York Post on Wednesday morning, which describes the AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps, or NCCC, program as one of the largest federal civil services organizations.

“In alignment with the Trump-Vance Administration priorities … AmeriCorps NCCC is working within new operational parameters that impact the program’s ability to sustain program operations,” the memo said, according to the Post’s report. “As a result, AmeriCorps is sending all NCCC members to their homes of record as soon as possible.”

AmeriCorps NCCC volunteers are ages 18–26 and have traditionally been deployed to assist in disaster areas and for community projects and support, in exchange for a stipend and money for college, according to the organization’s website.

Many of the volunteers take gap years in high school or college to join the program, said Jamie, who talked with three of the volunteers assigned to Casper after the trip was canceled.

“They’re just sad,” she said. “They’re all just really good humans.”

Kim said AmeriCorps volunteers are more than just hard work to the communities they serve, as they also tend to be inspiring to its residents.

“These young people are building their lives in such a positive direction, and when they were here last fall, the things they did for our community, we were just in awe,” she said. “We had kids in North Casper who were so excited to be around people that were so positive and so dynamic, it was just exciting to be around them.”

Jamie said they are optimistic that their project will move forward and not be delayed, but the sudden loss of AmeriCorps volunteers leaves them with added challenges. “The community has been really excited about this project, and we know that we’ll get it done,” she said.

“We have not had a chance to reach out to our senators or our representative, but we will be sharing our story with them so they understand the impact of their policies,” she added.

An earlier version of this story had the wrong Casper Housing Authority location. It has been corrected to indicate the work would be done at the former North Casper Elementary School location.