abstract: 'An important anti-poverty program for older Americans is facing a

  serious problem: The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)

  was deemed ``ineffective{''''} by the Department of Labor. The

  department''s 2020 budget, in fact, proposes the program''s elimination.

  SCSEP, which places low-income adults aged 55 and older with multiple

  barriers to work in on-the-job training in nonprofit and public agencies

  while providing a modest stipend, has the goal of helping participants

  to transition into unsubsidized, gainful employment. Yet measures used

  to determine the program''s effectiveness focus solely on employment

  outcomes, ignoring important outcomes related to health and social

  engagement. This commentary advocates for the preservation of SCSEP by

  countering the view that it is purely an employment intervention for

  low-income older adults. We describe the complexity of the program and

  the people it serves and argue that using select measures that do not

  encompass the breadth of SCSEP''s benefits creates an inaccurate

  appearance of ineffectiveness. We conclude with recommendations for

  SCSEP administrators and grantees, social workers, and others to enhance

  the promise of this important program.'
affiliation: 'Halvorsen, CJ (Corresponding Author), Boston Coll, Sch Social Work,
  McGuinn Hall 321,140 Commonwealth Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 USA.

  Halvorsen, Cal J., Boston Coll, Sch Social Work, McGuinn Hall 321,140 Commonwealth
  Ave, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 USA.

  Yulikova, Olga, Massachusetts Execut Off Elder Affairs, Senior Community Serv Employment
  Program, Boston, MA 02108 USA.'
author: Halvorsen, Cal J. and Yulikova, Olga
author-email: cal.halvorsen@bc.edu
author_list:
- family: Halvorsen
  given: Cal J.
- family: Yulikova
  given: Olga
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1007/s10615-019-00734-y
eissn: 1573-3343
files: []
issn: 0091-1674
journal: CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK JOURNAL
keywords: 'SCSEP; Older workers; Workforce training; Federal budget; Policy; Older

  Americans Act; Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act'
keywords-plus: INCLUSION; WORK
language: English
month: JUN
number: 2, SI
number-of-cited-references: '32'
orcid-numbers: Halvorsen, Cal J./0000-0002-9184-633X
pages: 223-229
papis_id: 54e51671e6370173ebe2a222f2e31be7
ref: Halvorsen2020jobtraining
times-cited: '5'
title: 'Job Training and so Much More for Low-Income Older Adults: The Senior Community
  Service Employment Program'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000535270200008
usage-count-last-180-days: '4'
usage-count-since-2013: '13'
volume: '48'
web-of-science-categories: Social Work
year: '2020'