Senior Community Service Employment Program

(C)Planned actions to coordinate SCSEP with other private and public entities and programs that provide services to older Americans, such as community and faith- based organizations, transportation programs, and programs for those with special needs or disabilities. (20 CFR 641.302(i))

Coordination with Public and Private Organizations

MD SCSEP and SSAI participants gain new work experience in a variety of community service activities at government agencies, nonprofits, and public facilities, including schools, hospitals, senior centers, churches, and community action centers.  

Table: MD SCSEP Current Host Agencies

In PY18, MD SCSEP has providedover 63,815community service hours to public and nonprofit agencies, and SSAI provided 253,456 community service hours, allowing them to enhance provision of needed services in the community. The participants train an average of 20 hours a week and are paid $ 10.10 an hour, the current state minimum wage. This training serves as a bridge to unsubsidized employment opportunities for participants.

Table: SSAI SCSEP Current Host Agencies

During the course of the next two years, MD SCSEP and SSAI will continue to promote collaboration and coordination among private and public organizations.  MD SCSEP and SSAI’s SCSEP will add more state and local government departments and agencies as new host agencies. To support the mandate to better serve minority populations, host agencies that serve in languages other than English will be sought as both MD SCSEP and SSAI prepares to expand job training activities amongst older Asian and Hispanic populations.

MD SCSEP will also continue to utilize the Individual Employment Planning process to target specific private and public entities whose work aligns with participant trainees’ employment goals.  MD SCSEP is exploring On the Job Experience (OJE) contracts with private, for-profit organizations as an option. These contracts allow MD SCSEP to expand training opportunities to participants approaching job readiness by providing training funds at or near market salary for up to 12 weeks. OJEs are considered successful if the participant, at the conclusion of training and assessment of effectiveness, is converted to an unsubsidized hire working 20 or more hours per week at a salary not below the market rate.

MD SCSEP and SSAI’s SCSEP will continue to coordinate support services information with the representatives of both the State chapter of AARP as well as the following local AARP Maryland Chapters located throughout the service area:  

MD SCSEP and SSAI SCSEP will continue to make participants aware of AARP member benefits available in their communities. Further, MD SCSEP and SSAI SCSEP will identify the local employers in each of the county jurisdictions that signed the AARP Employer Pledge. Employers that have signed the pledge do so to reflect value of experienced workers and a belief in equal opportunity for all workers, regardless of age. For example, in Baltimore City, the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center and DLA Piper, a national law firm, are two of the employers that signed the AARP Employer Pledge. To establish and inform their recruitment of older workers in Maryland, MD SCSEP will partner with these employers in support of targeting these workers for current and future staffing needs.  

Under the guidance and oversight of Maryland Department of Aging, the 19 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) administer Older Americans Act programs at the local level; however, eight of the 19 AAAs are in the SCSEP service area. Of these eight, currently six AAAs serve as host agencies for the participants. These local agencies advocate for older adults, deliver services, and offer advice and feedback on aging issues. The community service assignments are mostly office and administrative support, food preparation, and service and community and social services. On a few occasions, the AAA hired participants upon the completion of their current training assignments.