Located in:
- Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
At minimum, in the SCSEP stand-alone submission and the SCSEP portion of the Combined State Plan, States should comprehensively cover the following elements.
- b. Service Delivery and Coordination
States must:
- 1. Provide a Description of Actions to Coordinate Scsep with Other Programs
This may alternatively be discussed in the State strategies section of the strategic plan, but regardless of placement in document, must include:
- 1. Provide a Description of Actions to Coordinate Scsep with Other Programs
- b. Service Delivery and Coordination
b. 1. F. Efforts the State Will Make to Work with Local Economic Development Offices in Rural Locations.
Current Narrative:
Forty-five percent of the state’s SCSEP-eligible population is rural. SCSEP’s definition of rural is based on Rural Urban Commuting Area (RUCA) codes, defined at the census tract level. Forty-three of Alabama’s 67 counties have 100 percent rural populations.
Rural Service Delivery Challenges and Strategies to Address These Challenges
Grantees’ greatest obstacles to providing SCSEP services in rural areas and assisting participants to find unsubsidized jobs are all related to shortages: of resources, services, and jobs, particularly in more isolated areas.
Lack of Adequate Transportation
Lack of adequate transportation significantly hinders SCSEP service delivery in rural areas. Area Agencies on Aging have identified transportation as the number one priority need for seniors in their annual plans. The minimal transportation available in small towns is on-demand assistance geared toward persons with disabilities and to taking people to doctor appointments. Although the majority of SCSEP participants drive their own cars, for those who do not have cars or are no longer able to drive, the lack of transportation poses a significant barrier to SCSEP participation and to finding and retaining unsubsidized employment.
Strategies that Grantees will employ to address rural transportation needs include the following:
• Seek to place participants and rotate participants in community service assignments as close as possible to their residences. • Seek host agency assignments that have transportation resources. Grantees will contact school districts and child care networks/facilities to determine in which rural areas the school bus is a feasible alternative. For example, if community service assignments with a school district or child care facility are feasible and appropriate for participants’ career goals, Grantees will seek to negotiate with agencies to enable participants to use the same bus or van transportation provided for children to travel to and from their community service assignments Faith-based organizations providing community services may be able to serve as host agencies and provide transportation.