Senior Community Service Employment Program

In Colorado there was no significant change in service to minorities in program year 2014. Colorado SCSEP will continue to initiate strategies that encourage minority populations to participate. The sub–grantees recruit minority individuals to the program through a variety of methods and resources. Posters, brochures, and flyers are placed in strategic locations throughout communities specifically to encourage people to consider SCSEP when seeking employment. The program materials and interpreting services are available in Spanish and English. The sub–grantees promote SCSEP where people congregate, such as Social Service agencies, government offices, libraries, senior centers, low–income housing projects, faith based organizations, service/cultural organizations, grocery stores, and medical facilities. Social Service agencies and medical clinics in the counties have referred people who are in need, specifically minority populations and people with disabilities. Advertisements are placed in the local newspapers to market the program, provide eligibility requirements, identify benefits, and promote the emphasis on recruiting minority populations and persons with disabilities.

The State SCSEP program partners with several workforce centers that serve minority populations. The Older Workers Specialist at the workforce center provides information and assistance to the enrollees of the workforce center, focusing on the programs that serve the elderly populations, minorities, and people with disabilities. The Otero County workforce center has been very successful in recruiting minority participants for SCSEP.

A barrier to recruiting minorities may be program partners’ lack of understanding of cultural differences. An example of this is the Hispanic population and the strong family bonds or hierarchy. The female elder of the home may stay home to care for the grandchildren, while the children’s parents go to work. There may be a need for more income; however, the senior may not be accustomed to working outside of the home when children need care.

In addition, occasionally there are barriers to communication when interpreters are not readily available or if there are dialects that the SCSEP managers are not familiar with. To address these barriers the sub–grantees must be familiar with the different cultures. The State hosts a quarterly meeting of the Older Workers Task Force. This task force is very diverse and is comprised of the State sub–grantees, national grantees, SCSEP participants, private industry representatives, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment staff, and representatives of people with disabilities. The group addresses specific challenges encountered during the program year. The task force, through educational forums addresses barriers to communication, if there are cultural misunderstandings or cultural differences; an educational forum addresses the uniqueness of the culture with specific strategies to communicate successfully.

The US Department of Labor identifies that participants who are most in need are those with multiple barriers to employment: people that are over age 65; limited English proficiency; homeless or at risk of being homeless; have a disability; reside in rural areas; are Veterans or eligible spouses of Veterans; have low employment prospects; have failed to find employment after utilizing services provided under Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; have the greatest economic need; are minority individuals; and have the greatest social need. The locations of the people that meet the above criteria are located throughout the state. However, many may be found to have just been released from prison; they may live in central metropolitan areas in shelters, on the street or in subsidized housing; and there are participants that are isolated in rural communities; and those that are in segregated areas of the city with minority populations.