Labor Department awards $203M in grants for job services for low-income seniors

Sept. 20 (UPI) -- The Labor Department Friday said $203 million in grants are being awarded to provide job training and career services to low-income older people who want to re-enter the workforce.

The grants through the Senior Community Service Employment Program will provide $193 million to 19 national nonprofit organizations, while $9 million is going to provide services to older workers from Native-American or Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities.

Grants will go to 14 states and the District of Columbia.

The Labor Department said in a statement that the money "will enable program participants to move into unsubsidized employment in public and private sectors, foster self-sufficiency and promote part-time work experiences in community service assignments for unemployed low-income people ages 55 and older."

The AARP Foundation in Washington, D.C., is getting the most money -- $30,298,545.

The Center for Workforce Inclusion in Maryland will get $30,071,551, while the National Council on Aging in Virginia will receive $22,621,421.

The National Caucus and Center On Black Aging will get $15,925,630, Goodwill Industries in Maryland will get $14,640,900, and Easter Seals will receive $14,405,401.

Set-aside grants for Native American, Asian-American and Pacific Islanders will go to the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging ($4,583,922), National Indian Council On Aging ($2,702,509) and the Institute for Indian Development ($1,881,413).

The grants, authorized by the Older Americans Act, are a response to what is a real need for many older Americans looking for work.

A study in 2022 showed older people worried about job security are more likely to experience memory loss as they get age.

On cognitive tests, people who were insecure in their jobs worried about getting fired, laid off or forced into early retirement had 3% lower scores on memory tests.