Goodwill of Western New York announced that it was awarded a $224,579 grant from the Center for Workforce Inclusion, Inc. (Center). Almost 90 percent of this grant – originally from the U.S. Department of Labor – will provide temporary employment to no less than 26 low-income older jobseekers living in Cattaraugus and Chautauqua Counties. These adults will participate in the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) a cornerstone program of the Older Americans Act. SCSEP is celebrating its 56th anniversary this year.
SCSEP, the only federal job training program targeted exclusively to low-income older jobseekers, promotes personal dignity and self-sufficiency through work. It provides temporary part-time community service jobs for older, unemployed low-income Americans. The Senior Community Service Employment Program allows eligible persons to participate for up to four years, but the average tenure nationally is 19 months with the experience and training they receive leading to permanent employment.
As the joint largest U.S. Department of Labor National Grantee of SCSEP, the Center works through a network of local partners delivering various career training programs for eligible 55-plus-year-old workers in 34 states. To date, the Center has placed over 90,000 older workers into permanent employment through the SCSEP program.
“Our long-term, local partners are a key to the strength of the Center and provide the systems to train older Americans into strategic advantage for employers and the Country.” said Gary A. Officer, Center for Workforce Inclusion President and CEO. “We are very pleased to continue our support of Goodwill of Western New York.”
“During the pandemic SCSEP participants were able to keep training from home,” said Thomas Ulbrich, Goodwill of WNY President and CEO. “Now the participants are safely returning to their training sites where they help local community, faith-based, and public agencies such as the Chautauqua Works, Jamestown Meals on Wheels, Chautauqua Adult Day Care Center, and the Olean Career Center carry out their missions. The grant from the Center is essential to our ability to deliver this program in the community.”
Goodwill is currently recruiting program participants and non-profit partners in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties. For more information visit
