Community Storehouse, a Martinsville-based nonprofit organization, is asking for donations after the U.S. Department of Labor halted approximately $300 million in Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) grants, cutting payments to national providers.
According to a July media release, SCSEP—authorized under Title V of the Older Americans Act—is the only federal program specifically designed to support low-income Americans aged 55 and older through paid, part-time community service assignments. The program provides workforce training and helps participants transition into unsubsidized employment.
Travis Adkins, executive director of the agency, said participants must meet income and asset restrictions to qualify.
“So these are impoverished people,” he said. “The goal is supposed to be for seniors to get recent references, or maybe new skill sets that they didn’t use before, to be able to better their life if they are on a low, fixed income—and to set them out into the workforce.”
In practice, Adkins said the program also benefits nonprofits by providing much-needed staffing support, as SCSEP pays participants directly.
“Participants typically work 20 hours per week at minimum wage, addressing community needs and gaining transferable skills,” the release stated. “Research affirmatively links SCSEP participation with reduced isolation, improved well-being, and elevated self-sufficiency among seniors. Locally at the Storehouse, SCSEP participants have served as support staff in various roles for years—roles that are vital to keeping our operations running smoothly, efficiently and compassionately.”
Adkins estimates the Storehouse has participated in the program for at least 15 years.
“This year it’s just kind of been silently done away with,” he said. “All of our workers have been silently furloughed. Their calendar year starts in June, so all of this started back then.”
In this region, Adkins said Goodwill Industries oversees the SCSEP contract with the federal government.
“All of their office workers that would usually be doing the payroll for these people—I think they have all been furloughed. So, there’s just been media silence about it,” he said.
Adkins said the Department of Government Efficiency—referred to as DOGE—identified SCSEP as a program to be cut.
While the Storehouse once had six SCSEP participants, Adkins said it recently had just two.
“But they are vital support staff,” he said. “And of course, if you go down from six to two, the two are doing the job of the six. And now we have zero. So, it’s affecting the nonprofit negatively in that we don’t have the people to do those duties. But these people depended on that money, so it’s horrible for them, it’s horrible for us.”
As a result, Storehouse is asking foundations, corporations, faith communities and individual donors to provide bridge funding to help compensate the furloughed SCSEP workers.
“Ideally, if somebody could just give us the money to employ these two people on our own, it would be amazing,” Adkins said. “For the rest of the year, to rehire these two people at minimum wage—and they only got a maximum of 20 hours a week—it would be about $10,000.”
Adkins said he hopes to bring back at least one of the two workers.
“That we’re not going to have to completely redo the way we do all of our support services just because we’ve, out of the blue, lost this program,” he said. “Without immediate help, we risk losing not only crucial income for our seniors—but also the human infrastructure that keeps our doors open and our mission alive.”
Adkins also encouraged the public to contact lawmakers and advocate for the program to be refunded.
The Storehouse is also operating under a $70,000 deficit in its $300,000 annual budget, while it awaits reimbursement from the federal Employee Retention Credit (ERC) program.
“We’ve been waiting since Jan. 12, 2023, for the ERC money,” Adkins said. “After they did the first two parts of support during COVID, they did the ERC—where if you made it through the COVID crisis and retained your employees, you could submit to the federal government to get reimbursed for this money. We’re owed almost $70,000.”
Adkins said every 60 days, the Internal Revenue Service sends a letter requesting more time to process the reimbursement.
“Then another 60 days go by, and we get that same letter again,” he said. “It’s been going on since ’23.”
Those wishing to donate can visit www.storehousemhc.com, donate in person, or mail checks earmarked “SCSEP” to 128 E. Church St., Martinsville, VA 24112.
