The National Asian Pacific Center on Aging (NAPCA) was awarded $6,469,374 by the U.S. Department of Labor to provide critical job training and employment services through the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) for five months from February to June 2017. With new general and set-aside grants, NAPCA is authorized to serve 1,601 training positions, which is an increase from 890 training positions in 2016. Starting in July 2017, NAPCA expects to receive approximately $15,526,498 annually for an additional three years.

Since 1989, NAPCA has fostered economic self-sufficiency among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) older workers through SCSEP. SCSEP assists low-income unemployed adults aged 55 years and older by providing job training through temporary paid work experiences that lead to unsubsidized employment.

In fiscal year 2015, NAPCA SCSEP served 1,150 participants through ten project sites nationwide and partnered with over 420 nonprofit organizations that contributed over $1.3 million of in-kind support back into their communities. Approximately 668,000 hours of community services were provided by NAPCA SCSEP participants at a value of over $15 million.

With this new funding opportunity, we look forward to making even a greater impact in the economic self-sufficiency of our nation’s older workers and in community services across the country.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Diverse Elders Coalition.