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Nearly 1,000 senior Georgians are facing unemployment and uncertainty after the U.S. Department of Labor halted funding for the nation’s only job training and employment initiative designed specifically for low-income adults over 55. 

The halt to the Senior Community Service Employment Program means that Georgians in 107 counties, including Chatham and other coastal counties, have lost part-time jobs that once helped them cover rent, groceries, and other basic expenses. Many of those people who benefited from the program now face the possibility of falling behind on bills and are facing the threat of losing their housing, according to Legacy Link, a nonprofit based in Oakwood that ran the program in Georgia.

SCSEP Funding Flow Credit: Legacy Link

Although Congress funded the program for this fiscal year to the tune of $405 million, the Department of Labor has not released the money for the process, according to Legacy Link. Without the allocated funds being distributed, the program stopped on July 1. 

“I have a car to pay for, rent, light bills, water,  just basic necessities, and Social Security just isn’t enough,” said 73-year-old Lenease Reed, a Richmond Hill resident and former substitute teacher. Her placement at the Economic Opportunity Authority, a Savannah-based nonprofit that assists low-to-moderate-income residents of Chatham County, allowed her to stay on top of her bills.

“It was not a lot of money, but it was a help,” Reed said. “If I don’t have the money to pay my rent, this is just going to be hard. Where am I going to go?”

Goodwill Industries has relied on the program for more than 20 years to help boost staff in Georgia. The abrupt end of the program has forced agencies to juggle fewer resources amid growing demand, according to Danielle Irwin, Goodwill Southeast Georgia Career Services Specialist.

Sandra Simmons, a partially blind 63-year-old in Savannah, is one of the people now struggling after taking advantage of job placements funded by the program for the last three years. Now, in a tough job environment, she has to stretch her federal disability payments without extra income. “It’s been a struggle.” Simmons said. “God is still in the midst with everything that’s happening. I still have faith and trust, but it’s been very devastating.”

LEGACY LINK: Created in 1965 as part of the Older Americans Act, the program provides part-time jobs and training to unemployed adults ages 55 and older as a way to help seniors reenter the workforce. 

Each year, the program serves approximately 40,000 people nationwide, offering up to 15 hours a week of training at the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. Participants are placed in nonprofits or government offices where they receive on-the-job training while helping fill vital roles. 

Legacy Link receives the federal funding, matches them with nonprofit and local government organizations needing staffing and help, and pays participants directly. 

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Type of Story: News Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.