Federal AmeriCorps Office in W.Va. to Close as Part of Consolidation Plan

The CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service (or CNCS) announced a comprehensive plan to consolidate 46 state offices into eight regional offices in June 2018, effectively closing the CNCS federal office in West Virginia. If enacted, West Virginia’s Senior Corps and AmeriCorps VISTA programs will be supervised by staffers located in an office in Philadelphia.

The CNCS website indicates the plan is part of an effort to reduce overhead costs and make work more sustainable.

The consolidation would not, however, affect operations or staffing for AmeriCorps’ state-run program, Volunteer West Virginia, which oversees AmeriCorps members, but not VISTA or Senior Corps, according to Volunteer West Virginia executive director Heather Foster.

West Virginia U.S. senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito sent a letter to the CNCS requesting more information. In the letter, lawmakers expressed concerns about trading overhead costs for personal connections which “have been the foundation for success.”

In 2018, West Virginia was announced as the leading state per capita to produce AmeriCorps members.

The CNCS website says the agency plans to transition its consolidation plan of national programs plan between September 2019 and June 2020.