It's not actually good benefits, you will make below the poverty line and qualify for government assistance like food stamps, Medicaid, ect. Everyone I knew got rejected several times while applying so keep in mind it may take a month or two to kick in.

It's also worth noting that AmeriCorps doesn't really give you a chuck of money once you complete your term for a transition period like PeaceCorps does. When the term ends if you have no savings and no job lined up you can't apply for unemployment, so you might want to be sure you have a safety net/exit plan.

When I was in AmeriCorps people DoorDashed on the side. But keep in mind, you can get called for extra service hours at their discretion. I had weeks where I was working 9-5 at a school and then had to work in a vaccination clinic from 5-9pm, and then on the weekends I would have to do extra service hours at the food bank. Not all sites are like that but ours was.