CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — AmeriCorps is the latest federal organization to have money cut by the Trump administration. Here in Central Illinois, a group they fund just got a stop work order.

Many services are set to end, including the Illinois Justice Corps. They place volunteers in courtrooms across the state. The members help people who can’t afford a lawyer, which a former worker told WCIA is valuable, especially now.

“I thought it would be a good way to help resolve what we call the access to justice crisis,” said former volunteer fellow Jack Popovich.

Popovich is about to go to law school. In the meantime, he wanted to help make legal information more accessible for people who can’t afford it.

“They come into our office and we help them select paperwork, go over their cases and understand what they’re what they’re doing and what they need to do,” Popovich said. “Understand all the court procedures and stuff that they have to do to get a court date.”

But, as of Monday, Popovich was told he was out of a job.

“We received a stop work order and a notification that our grants was being cut,” Popovich said. “And I have a contract through August.”

He said he won’t receive the stipend money he was promised through August and is no longer allowed to work at the courthouse. Now, they’re services are only open every other day compared to daily.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly previously said in a statement in part: “AmeriCorps has failed eight consecutive audits and identified over $45 million in improper payments in 2024 alone.”

Illinois Justice Corps Program Director Jenna Kearns said it’s something they felt could happen.

“It was something that we were kind of living in — in the fear of this happening,” But it really did come out of the blue because we are in the middle of a program here.”

Popovich said in the meantime, they’re not so much worried for themselves as they are the people they help.

“Because they are going to have one less person to talk to,” Popovich added. “Like I said, the offices are only going to be staffed for half the week, which means that on time sensitive stuff, they aren’t going to get what they need at the time they need it.”

Kearns said they’re looking at other sources of money to keep the Justice Corps in business. For now, they haven’t found anything to match grants they’ve gotten in the past.