The mission of YouthBuild USA is to break the cycle of poverty by unleashing the intelligence and positive energy of low-income out-of-school young adults to rebuild their communities and their lives. In YouthBuild programs in America's poorest communities, low-income young people ages 16 to 24 enroll full-time for about a year, during which time they build affordable housing for homeless and low-income people and work toward their own high school diploma or GED while learning leadership skills and internalizing the ethic of service. These programs are run by autonomous local community-based or public agencies.

http://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorps-vista/what-vista-members-do
http://www.americorps.gov/members-volunteers/your-benefits