Updated August 26
The Elder Service of Cape Cod and the Islands was recently awarded $319,853 from Senior Service America, Inc., according to a press release.
Almost 90 percent of the grant, originally from the U.S. Department of Labor, will provide temporary employment to at least 38 low-income older adults living in Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket counties, the release states.
These older adults will participate in the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).
The SCSEP helps low-income, unemployed adults age 55 and up find work, such as part-time assignments for nonprofit organizations, often leading to full-time employment, according to the SCSEP website.
According to the administrator for the Edgartown Council on Aging, Paul Mohair, many older adults on-Island would want to take advantage of this program because the cost of living on Martha’s Vineyard is so high.
“Access to the workforce is a huge issue these days. Obviously it is illegal to discriminate by age, but we all know it happens,” Mohair said. “This county is the fastest aging county in the state — these kinds of programs are only going to be more important in the future.”
Updated to clarify that the National Council on Aging does not operate SCSEP programs in Massachusetts.
It is more than appalling that seniors have to content themselves with $319,853 of taxpayers funds, while Tisbury contemplates a $60 million expenditure for a new school.
Is there anyone else embarrassed by this?
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