The Trump administration’s funding cuts have had ripple effects throughout the country.
North Georgia has not been immune to those effects, either. The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) under the Department of Labor (DOL) has been frozen effective July 1.
The SCSEP was created in 1965 as part of the Older Americans Act and is a work-based employment training program for low-income seniors.
The Legacy Link is a non-profit in Georgia that has an SCSEP branch to connect seniors with employment opportunities to re-enter the workforce.
“Currently nationwide, we have approximately 30,000 seniors that are in this program that are on an unpaid pause due to a delay from the DOL in the award funding for this program that has already been authorized,” The Legacy Link SCSEP Director Christine Osasu said.
Osasu said that there are 900 active trainees in Georgia and more than 40 trainees in Hall County. The trainees in Hall County work at places like the DOL, Good Samaritan Food Bank, My Sisters Place, and Family Promise.
Eloise Jackson is a lifelong Cartersville resident who has been in the SCSEP program through The Legacy Link for roughly a year. AccessWDUN spoke to Jackson about the effects of the freeze.
“It was a life saver for me,” Jackson said. “I was on the verge of eviction. I mean, at my age, where am I going to go?”
Jackson said she was working at a crisis call center for minimum wage.
“I wasn’t complaining about minimum wage,” Jackson said. “Slowly but surely, it was coming and the money started coming in where I could have a place to live.”
Jackson is a cancer survivor and said she was living off of social security checks after working since she was 16-years-old. After medical bills began piling up, she got the job at the call center to help make ends meet.
“I was devastated,” Jackson said. “Everything is shutting down around us, and it’s not easy for seniors to find help in a job force.”
Osasu was set to speak to the Senate Special Committee on Aging on July 16. That meeting fell through due to what Senators told Osasu was a “vote-a-rama.”
U.S. Senator for Georgia Raphael Warnock is on the committee, and he was a part of a letter by Democrat lawmakers to U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer regarding the program.
“SCSEP is a lifeline for older adults who experience significant employment vulnerabilities. It is vitally important to their financial and personal well-being that the program continue uninterrupted,” the July 1 letter read.
Sen. Warnock also gave AccessWDUN a statement on Wednesday regarding the funding freeze.
"Freezing this jobs program is another cruel blow from this administration to older Georgians who still want to work, contribute, and live with dignity," Warnock said. "In places like North Georgia, this program is a lifeline helping seniors reenter the workforce, stay active in their communities, and make ends meet. I will continue demanding this administration ensure Georgians can access the employment resources they need."
The cost to continue the program? Roughly $400-million annually. That makes up 0.006% of the federal government’s $6.8-trillion budget and costs each taxpayer roughly $2.45 per year to run.
Of that $400-million, Georgia receives $9.4-million, good for 15th in the country.
“It means so much, not just to the individual, but to the community at-large,” Osasu said.
Osasu also made mention of President Donald Trump’s administration’s repeated claims to be pro-working class and bring seniors back into the job force.
“I can say that the priorities of this administration … we seem to hear over and over again wanting to get seniors back to work, this is exactly the program for that,” Osasu said. “It doesn’t seem to align with the funding pause.”
Jackson said that she speaks for many seniors, not just herself, in regards to the freeze.
“When you hear me speak, don’t see me. See your mother, see your aunt, see great-grandmother, see your sisters, see your children,” Jackson said. “There are seniors … that are in even worse shape than myself and we seniors need help.”
Osasu told AccessWDUN that there has been no formal rescheduling of the committee hearing.
Osasu’s presentation to the committee will be titled “Aging with Purpose: The Positive Impact of Seniors in Today’s Economy.”
“The majority of SCSEP funds directly pay for participants’ wages. For many, this pause means missed meals, unstable housing, and growing uncertainty about the future, especially as they are not eligible to collect unemployment during the pause,” Osasu’s presentation brief reads.
Osasu also provided testimonials of five seniors helped by the program. In it, there are seniors who are cancer survivors and widows with persistent health issues, mounting medical debt, and facing rent increases.
All expressed gratitude towards a program that gives them a proverbial life raft while in dire straits.
There’s been no word as of the writing of this article when or if the Trump administration will release the funds.
