New short-term AmeriCorps programs, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, are getting off the ground.

President Obama signed his stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, on February 17th, 2009. It included additional $201 million in funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service for AmeriCorps State and National, and AmeriCorps VISTA programs.

Funding has gone to existing programs to increase the number of open positions, and it’s also gone to organizations already running AmeriCorps programs, to create brand-new, short-term corps.

One example of a new stimulus-funded AmeriCorps program is the Oregon Community Action Corps — now accepting applications for 24 full-time AmeriCorps positions serving throughout the state of Oregon. OCAC will operate out of the American Red Cross Oregon Trail Chapter here in Portland, which also operates the state’s largest AmeriCorps State program, the Oregon State Service Corps and our largest VISTA program Clara Barton VISTA Corps (both are currently recruiting, also).

AmeriCorps members with the Oregon Community Action Corps (OCAC) serve individually or in small teams at Community Action Agencies in positions focusing on housing assistance; resources for people who are homeless; employment and skills training with youth and adults; affordable healthcare access; food security (including community gardens and food pantries); and volunteer management for a variety of programs. Learn about all open positions and the application process. The term of service starts August 24, 2009, and ends July 15, 2010.

With the increase in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, AmeriCorps State and National programs can engage approximately 10,000 additional people in service that meets critical community needs “resulting from, or exacerbated by, the current economic crisis.” The stimulus funding for national service —which must be used by the fall of 2010— has double aims of offering work experience and skill building opportunities to unemployed people who become AmeriCorps members, and to offer human resources to nonprofit organizations and communities negatively affected by the economic crisis which host AmeriCorps members.

Stimulus-funded AmeriCorps members will engage in activities such as:

• Employment and skills training;
• Tutoring and literacy
• Financial planning
• Home foreclosures and housing assistance
• Housing rehabilitation and access
• Healthcare access
• Non-profit capacity building
• Volunteer generation and management

Read more about the stimulus funding for the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Search for other AmeriCorps opportunities here. Unfortunately, you can’t search specifically for stimulus-funded AmeriCorps positions — if you know of a stimulus-funded program that’s currently recruiting, please share the website and a short program description below.