Senior News July, 2003 Vol. 23. No. 6

 

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

Love of water leads to manufacturing and sharing with others

Well respected director takes helm at HSRC

Senior Employment Program is increased

Del Norte: Center provides information and guides to history and activities

Fortuna explores senior needs

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Sometimes the news is good
Senior Employment Program is increased
by Ginger Campbell

"Refunded" is the word every nonprofit agency wants to hear, but refunded with an increase of 50 percent more than last year - and you didn't even ask for it - are words that are golden. This coming grant year, the AARP Foundation Senior Community Service Employment Program was awarded $75 million compared to $50 million from the previous several years. This was definitely great news locally for our Humboldt-Del Norte project site which serves approximately 160 people per year and has a wage budget of approximately $390,000 per year.

The Title V Senior Community Service Employment Program is an Older Americans Act program that has been functioning for 33 years nationally and 27 years in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. The purpose of the program is to help people who are 55 and older who are on a limited income to transition into permanent employment. They are paid to work in nonprofit agencies for 20 hours per week while seeking these permanent jobs.
For the first time in the program's 33 years, each national contractor was required to compete for funds based on previous performance which included permanent job placement for enrollees, grant fund management and overall program performance. This year faith-based agencies as well as other nonprofit training programs were encouraged to compete. Some of the new national agencies are Senior Service America, Inc.; Mature Services, Inc.; the National Able Network; plus eight existing contractors.

As the slots have been reassigned throughout the United States, AARP is in the midst of opening new project sites in states where they have not served in the past. I spent five days in Portland at the end of June helping enrollees from other contractors transition into the AARP/SCSEP as a result of the changes.

Ginger Campbell is the local SCSEP's director. Her e-mail is SCGCAMPBEL@aol.com. For information call 707-822-7027.