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1010 Gough Street San Francisco, California 94109 For Immediate Release January 26, 2011 Media Contact: Jackie Wright, 415 525 0410 Family Service Agency of San Francisco Opens New Office In Sunnydale- SCSEP Program Gives New Beginning to Older Workers
San Francisco-Over 55, out of work, out of unemployment
benefit, no health or life insurance and fearful of being without options; that
was the fate of many of the nearly 200 people that have found hope in the
Senior Community Services Employment Program (SCSEP-pronounced SEE-SEP), a
program of the National Council of Aging that is administered in San Francisco
and Marin counties by Family Service Agency of San Francisco. Now that new found hope has a new home
at the Visitacion Valley Community Development Corporation located at 1999
Sunnydale Avenue in San Francisco's economically hard pressed Southeast sector. "I am pleased to see Family Service Agency of San Francisco has made SCSEP more accessible by being housed in the Visitacion Valley Development Corporation," said Malia Cohen, District 10 Supervisor. "The program will help older workers in our entire district improve their opportunity for new jobs. Our goal is to keep District 10 working, healthy and safe and Family Service Agency is helping." Authorized by the Older Americans Act, SCSEP is a community service and work based training program for older workers. It provides subsidized, service-based training for low- income persons 55 or older that are unemployed and have poor employment prospects. Program participants work 20 hours a week at the highest federal, state or local minimum wage.
The profile of participants includes those who have family income no more that 25% over the federal poverty level. Priority is given to clients over 60, veterans and qualified spouses of veterans, those who have the greatest economic need, minority, limited English-speaking and Indians who meet the need criteria. Participants have up to four years to work within the program. They are paired with an appropriate host agency to learn new skills or to improve the ones they may have. The host agency can be a nonprofit or a private business or corporation. "One of the first things we do is conduct an Economic Security Check Up. It's a way to get to the core of the problems and barriers that a client is facing," said Roxanne Murray, Director of the Program. "As a result we can jump start an older worker's job search." The hardcore unemployment statistics in the Southeast sector were a driver for Family Service Agency opening a SCSEP office in the Visitation Valley Development Corporation. The FSA Southeast sector office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will be staffed by an 85-year old youthful looking Warren Stewart.
"We work diligently everyday to ensure that NCOA's SCSEP is in the right caring hands, said Robert Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of Family Services of Family Services Agency, a leader with over twenty years experience in the research and development of social service and public policy initiatives. "After the papers are shuffled, phone calls are made and we evaluate and test our services, we want to see changed lives and that's what we are seeing with SCSEP." Now in the Southeast sector, the 120-year old Family Service Agency's expertise will be more accessible to a very needy community. The Chief Operating Officer, Al Gilbert, who has a reputation in the nonprofit arena for turning around failing organizations, expects the agency to add many Southeast participants to SCSEP. "We want to make sure we are giving everyone equal access to the services that have been created for their benefit," said Gilbert. "A city can only be as strong as it's weakest link. FSA wants to strengthen the great talent in the Southeast sector that has faced many challenges to its success."
For those who think SCSEP can help them or who may want to provide a position or two as a host agency, contact Roxanne Murray at 415 982-7007 ex. 11 or email her at rmurray@fsaf.org. Potential clients must call for an intake interview.
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