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.
“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.
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