Company Profile

Company Overview

What Is SCSEP?

The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) began as part of the War on Poverty 40 years ago and was so successful that it became a national program under the Older Americans Act in 1973. It is referred to by its acronym–SCSEP (pronounced SEE-sep)–and operates in nearly every county in the nation. To participate in SCSEP, a person must be:
• Age 55 or older
• Legally eligible to work in the United States
• Unemployed
• Living in a household with income no more than 125 percent of the federal poverty level

By law, SCSEP gives special attention to those who are any of the following:
• Age 65 years or older
• Have a disability
• Have limited English proficiency or low literacy skills
• Residing in a rural area
• A veteran
• Have low employment prospects
• Homeless or at risk of homelessness

SCSEP participants are paid minimum wage while they gain marketable job skills working 20 hours per week throughout the year in a wide range of non-profit and public organizations, including senior centers, schools and libraries. The program provides a win-win for participants and their communities. Participants help community organizations extend their reach and capabilities, while developing their own job skills, self-confidence, and a restored sense of self-worth. In 2006, SCSEP participants across the nation contributed 41 million hours of service to their communities, and about 15,000 participants gained regular employment outside the program.

The SCSEP program is an equal opportunity program operated under a grant from the U. S. Department of Labor.