Clara Barton AmeriCorps* VISTA Corps (CBVC)

What is VISTA?
What are VISTA's Program Priorities?
Who are AmeriCorps*VISTA members?
How do CBVC members serve?
CBVC Member Benefits
Sponsor Eligibility Requirements
General Guidelines
Apply to be a sponsor

AmeriCorps*VISTA Programming Priorities
To measure its success and ensure it is programming for long-term, anti-poverty outcomes, AmeriCorps*VISTA will focus its efforts within the following four areas:

• Ex-Offender Reentry - Each year, approximately 600,000 men and women are released from prison into society. Two-thirds are likely to be rearrested within three years of leaving prison, creating a cycle of crime and incurring countless costs to the community. AmeriCorps*VISTA is committed to address this issue and will assist organizations who help offenders find employment and housing and break this cycle of poverty.
• Supporting Tribal Communities - The American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities continue to struggle with poverty and related issues.
  • AI/AN children in single-parent homes are more likely to live in poverty than any other racial or ethnic group.
  • 50% of Native American children in mother-only homes lived below the poverty level in 1999. This was the highest poverty rate among all minority groups.
  • 32.8% of Native American children in father-only homes lived below the poverty level in 1999. Again, this was the highest rate among minorities.
  • 38.3% of Native American children living with neither parent lived below poverty, a rate comparable to African American and Hispanic children in similar households.
  • 63% of American Indian elders live at or below the poverty level
  There are unique needs within the American Indian community. AmeriCorps*VISTA will continue to reach out to tribal projects that seek to expand their capacity to fight poverty.
• Financial Asset Development - According to the Federal Reserve Board, an estimated 10 million U.S. households have no savings or checking accounts. This population tends to include low-income families that often face multiple barriers to developing assets and becoming financially secure. Programs that focus on asset development can help a low-income individual save money and build equity in physical assets, such as a home. Acquiring equity and generating savings are critical to helping move people permanently toward self-sufficiency.
• Strengthening America’s Children and Families - AmeriCorps*VISTA will work to move more low-income individuals and communities toward long-term financial independence and self-sufficiency; it also will work to protect children–often the most vulnerable victims of poverty–by strengthening their families. According to the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979-97), children raised without the benefit of an intact two-parent family are four to seven times more likely to experience poverty than children raised in the context of intact married families. Focusing on breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty offers the greatest long-term return on investment, as it is easier to prevent poverty within the context of the family than to attempt to break the cycle years later. VISTA will continue its support of empowering local grassroots initiatives for family formation and development, after school programs and childcare, and childhood literacy.
• Older Americans in Poverty - Poverty and isolation among America’s elder population, while frequently overlooked, is one of the most tragic manifestations of poverty in America today and continues to be a focus of attention for AmeriCorps*VISTA. With an eye toward helping elderly people escape poverty and live independently, AmeriCorps*VISTA will continue to support projects that provide prescription drug education, transportation, home health care alternatives, employment opportunities, health and nutrition needs, and housing modifications to overcome shut-in situations. AmeriCorps*VISTA also will emphasize youth service and intergenerational programming as strategies for assisting the low-income elderly.
• Supporting Rural Communities – AmeriCorps*VISTA has historically supported rural programming; however, these communities have consistently experienced significant spikes in the number of families who live at, or below, the poverty line. AmeriCorps*VISTA is committed to dedicating resources to help generate and leverage critical human, financial, infrastructure, and other community help and volunteerism resources in rural America.