Crime fighting project gets financial boost in Benton Harbor

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A program to fight crime and delinquency in four Michigan cities, including Benton Harbor, will get nearly $160,000 more than expected.

Originally $322,244 was set aside for the work done by AmeriCorps members as part of the Inner City AmeriCorps Neighborhood Project.

The Michigan Community Service Commission recently announced its funding now sits at nearly $8 million for six individual project across the state. The added funding will allow it to deploy 1,211 AmeriCorps members to work on the projects.

For the Inner City AmeriCorps Neighborhood Project that means 116 members, up by 50, will be at work.

The project will recruit individuals involved in the justice system to work on public service projects that provide skills and sustainable jobs in the emerging green sector.

“The additional funding we have received from the Corporation for National and Community Service strengthens the impact AmeriCorps will continue to have on communities across Michigan,” says Paula Kaiser VanDam, Executive Director of the Michigan Community Service Commission.

Michigan’s AmeriCorps addresses some of our state’s biggest challenges, VanDam says.

It also provides individuals with opportunities to gain valuable job skills, retrain for new careers, and the ability to stay in their home community.

Research show that after one year of AmeriCorps service, members are more likely to stay in the community they served, pursue careers in the nonprofit and public sector, and continue to be involved in civic life.

AmeriCorps helps make college and higher education more affordable. The 1,211 AmeriCorps members will earn more than $2 million in education awards to pay for college or repay student loans.

Writer: Kathy Jennings

Source: Paula Kaiser VanDam, Michigan Community Service Commission

Crime fighting project gets financial boost in Benton Harbor

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