AmeriCorps Initiative
ESCT Community and Housing Services Department has partnered for several years with the Corporation for National and Community Service Texas State Office and OneStar Foundation to support projects with AmeriCorps volunteer resources.
The AmeriCorps resources support ESCT and AmeriCorps VISTA to improve communities in Texas. Engaging community volunteers is one of the most important roles AmeriCorps plays for Texas communities. AmeriCorps national service participants serve at ESCT Community and Housing Services Department and with local, partner organizations, expanding their capacity to achieve their mission and building community involvement and support. AmeriCorps members give a year or two of service to their country, and, in return gain valuable professional experience and earn money for college. This mutually beneficial relationship is win-win for everyone involved.
Access Housing
AmeriCorps*VISTA members identify and address critical housing issues in the disability community, specifically addressing the needs of those relocated due to the crisis and for those individuals already in the community struggling to find affordable, accessible and integrated housing in Texas communities. The members also develop opportunities for partnerships with affordable housing developers in the public and private sector to increase the availability of accessible, affordable and integrated housing. To learn more or to search for affordable, accessible housing, visit the Access Texas Housing at www.accesstexashousing.org.
ASSET*AmeriCorps
Everyone has dreams and goals, but people with disabilities often have more barriers to achieving them than people without disabilities.
ASSET (Active Service Solutions for Economic Transition) is a partnership with AmeriCorps that aims to help people with disabilities achieve greater independence by supporting them in their efforts to improve money management skills, find affordable and accessible housing and locate and pay for assistive technology. Trained AmeriCorps members, also called ASSET Navigators, serve in local community organizations across Texas working with people with disabilities in small groups or one-on-one, depending on an each person’s particular needs and goals.