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.
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.”
Helping put experience to work
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.
One of those organizations, Two Rivers Health Clinic in Rincon, has taken advantage of the free staffing to help its free health clinic, which serves uninsured and low-income adults in Effingham County.
With the cuts to the program, Fordham is now down a staff member, a loss that further stretches her three-person part-time team. “We have three part-time staff,” Fordham said, “so with funding being limited for nonprofits in general, that puts a lot of stress on us, and so we’re not able to administer services as effectively when we’re short-staffed. So, that taxes my time, so I’m not able to apply for grants as much and do the community outreach.”
Karen Jameison, 64, a former TSA manager, described Legacy Link as a rare chance to reenter the workforce after years away. Although she has 20 years of experience with employee relations, training, communication, and leadership, she said that ageism among employers means she doesn’t get serious consideration for jobs.
Through Legacy Link, she was placed with Chatham County Human Resources, where she received training on computer programs and technology that didn’t exist when she last searched for a job.
“This wasn’t a perfect program,” Jameison said. “But it was something. And taking it away without a plan, that’s just wrong.”
“They were patient. They reintroduced me to technology,” Jameison said. “It was a great experience. To defund them while you rethink whatever is disgusting.” Jameison transferred her new skills to a job at Chatham County Superior Courts after the Legacy Link program ended this summer.
One of many job program cuts
The end of the senior job program adds to the list of other Department of Labor workforce training programs being defunded or shut down. Job Corps, a program that teaches its students valuable technical skills and also provides housing when needed, also faced cuts. In June, funding cuts meant that the chapter in Brunswick was in danger of closing down.
While the DOL has not explained the pause, the Trump Administration’s fiscal year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request recommended eliminating funding for the SCSEP, describing it as “an earmark to leftist, DEI-promoting entities.”
It said that seniors would be better served by programs operated by state and local governments,” rather than federal programs.
The sunset of federal workforce programs comes at a time when other social safety net funding is also being cut. The Trump administration is nationalizing new work requirements for food assistance and for some Medicaid recipients starting in 2027. Low-income adults under 65 would have to work or volunteer at least 80 hours a month to be eligible for these benefits under the new law.
Advocates warn that cutting programs like SCSEP while adding stricter requirements leaves low-income seniors trapped in a life-threatening situation. “They say you have to work to keep your benefits, but then they take away the job,” said Simmons.
Losing jobs leads losing more
While those changes have a longer rollout period, the end of the senior workforce funding came as a surprise, said Fordham at the Rincon health clinic. “This wasn’t something people were given time to address,” she said. “It makes it worse, because it’s not like they had a lot of time to make an adjustment.”
Participants have also found the sudden changes hard. Approximately 67% of the 900 Georgians enrolled in the program are at risk of homelessness, 23% have disabilities, and 33% have low literacy, according to Christine Osasu, who runs the senior program director of SCSEP at Legacy Link.
One Legacy Link participant was forced to move into a tent after the program paused in July, Osasu reported.
“These are people who were already at the edge,” Osasu said. “The pause doesn’t just hurt them, it puts more pressure on food pantries, housing assistance, and the nonprofits that are already overwhelmed.”
A 2023 National Poll on Healthy Aging conducted by the University of Michigan found that one in three adults ages 50 to 80 reported feelings of loneliness and social isolation. For seniors like Simmons and Reed, Legacy Link not only provided income but also offered a daily reason to get out of the house and interact with the community.
Even if funding were restored today, it would take about six weeks for participants to receive paychecks again, a critical time period for those living paycheck to paycheck.
Rep. Buddy Carter’s office did not respond to questions regarding the pause. However, Sen. Raphael Warnock sharply criticized the 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 Georgia, this program is a lifeline helping seniors re-enter the workforce, stay active in their communities, and make ends meet. I will continue demanding that this administration ensure Georgians can access the employment resources they need.”
“Older individuals have so much to contribute,” said Executive Director Amber Fordham. “It gives them an opportunity to stay active and engaged, and nonprofits need their experience. Without them, both sides miss out.”
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