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Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) Faces an Uncertain Future
The Jewish Council for the Aging had to furlough 34 participants in the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) on July 1, because of a delay in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Labor. For more than 50 years, SCSEP has been the only federal job training program specifically for low-income adults aged 55 and older. Although we hope this funding loss will be temporary, we don’t know when, or if, the funding will be reinstated.
SCSEP, a vital congressionally approved job training program, provides a bridge back to work for adults trying to get their lives back on track. While in SCSEP, participants are paid a minimum wage to work at nearby nonprofit organizations or government agencies while also receiving training in computer classes and other valuable work skills depending on their career goals and current knowledge.
SCSEP Participants are the most economically vulnerable older adults, with incomes at or below 125% of the Federal Poverty Level. They all want to work but don’t know how to navigate job hunting and need to enhance their skills to compete and succeed in the job market. Many participants have survived illness, personal loss, or economic hardship. For them, SCSEP doesn’t just provide jobs; it is a path back to stability and dignity.
Because of financial hardships, Theresa Meade found herself living in parks, bus stops, and county shelters. For almost four years, she roamed around, unsure of what to do and where to turn. “I always thought I could tough it out,” she said.
Theresa attended a few employment workshops and saw advertisements for JCA and SCSEP. She went to work at the Wheaton Recreation Center, where she worked hard, taking on new responsibilities and jobs while staying upbeat. She was hired at the center. “It was a blessing. It enabled me to get back my own sense of value,” she said. “So many companies actually want workers like me, who are 55 and older. They like our work ethic.” She credits SCSEP for getting her self-respect back.
But stories like Theresa’s may become very rare, perhaps even vanish. While we await word on the current year’s funding, we are also facing an uncertain future. The administration announced in May that it wants to eliminate SCSEP funding next year.
The furlough has had an immediate impact on JCA’s SCSEP participants who rely on these stipends for rent and groceries. SCSEP participants can’t go to work, and JCA can’t provide them with any support or training during this time. These vulnerable jobseekers have lost their jobs, their purpose, and their paycheck. Without the connection, support, and purpose SCSEP gives older adults, it won’t take long for their confidence and self-esteem to erode too.
Dave Lawson was a house painter for 45 years until he developed pneumonia and ended up hospitalized for four weeks. He went home with little strength and slim prospects for ever returning to house painting. A friend told him about JCA and SCSEP, and before he knew it, he was working in a food pantry at Adventist Community Services. “Frankly, it’s the best thing I ever did. The work was fantastic. The people were fantastic.”
When he was furloughed on July 1, Dave once again found himself wondering where to turn. “It’s just a damn shame,” he said. Dave appreciated the good work at Adventist and thought he would volunteer there once a week until he was able to find another job. But under the terms of the government’s furlough, he can’t volunteer. He also can’t receive unemployment compensation. As a SCSEP participant, Dave is considered a trainee and ineligible for unemployment.
Louise Basso-Luca found herself in a similar spiral. The funeral home where she worked for 20 years was bought out, and she was let go. That was almost two years ago. During that time, she continued paying condominium fees and car repair bills. Her homeowner’s insurance increased. She turned to WorkSource Montgomery and learned about JCA’s SCSEP program. She was assigned to Holiday Park, a senior center in Montgomery County, and finally started believing in herself again. “Holiday Park was wonderful. The county, the employees, were so nice,” and she enjoyed her front desk receptionist responsibilities. “I loved it. I loved the work. I made so many friends.”
Then she was furloughed on July 1. “It’s just a shock. One minute you are working, and the next you are looking for work.” After gaining so much knowledge in a fully funded computer class thanks to SCSEP, she enrolled in a 10-week digital proficiency class. But SCSEP ended before the class was set to begin. “SCSEP is good. It doesn’t give you a big check, but it allows you to work somewhere,” Louise said. “It’s tough,” she said, noting it takes weeks sometimes to even hear back after applying for work. Besides needing an income, Louise fears becoming isolated.
Demand for SCSEP has always been high. At JCA, the program has been at full capacity for a long time and has a waitlist of one to two years that grows by 10 to 12 new applicants every month. To provide additional programs to meet the needs of people who qualify for the SCSEP program while they are waiting for a spot, JCA created the ReNew Connections program and, in April, secured a $25,000 grant from the Truist Foundation to implement the ReNew Connections Program.
In these days of growing federal layoffs and extremely limited job opportunities for senior adults, SCSEP was a ray of hope that is now losing its luster. But JCA isn’t about to stop caring and trying to get the funding for the 34 people here — and the 40,000 others nationwide—who were furloughed and reinstated.
In the face of all this uncertainty, JCA is committed to growing and expanding ReNew Connections. Increasing the capacity for this new initiative to serve as many people as possible has become urgent in light of the growing number of people in the region losing their federal government jobs and the new federal funding landscape. Without SCSEP, ReNew Connections will be the only avenue available for JCA to provide low-income older adults with the training, skills development, and coaching they need to succeed and achieve economic mobility.
Aging Well: JCA Stories is a new series sharing an in-depth look at JCA’s programs, services, and impact.
