A local jobs program for seniors was paused, then quickly restarted in response to action on the federal budget in Washington, D.C. Its operating agency now call it “only partially operational.”
The Senior Community Service Program, run by the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas, tries to help unemployed, low-income workers rejoin the workforce by paying them to work for nonprofit agencies with the hope that they will go on to find a job in the nonprofit or private sector. It typically serves about 100 people a year in Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey, Cowley, Harper and Sumner counties.
According to a statement from the alliance, the U.S. Department of Labor instructed it to pause the federally funded program on June 30. That day, the alliance laid off 67 participants at 37 employers. On July 1, the Labor Department granted the program a 30-day extension for existing participants. Later that same day, the Labor Department said the program would be funded through June 30, 2026. The alliance said it can’t enroll any new individuals until it receives “official guidance and the formal grant agreement.”
“We are optimistic that full program operations could resume by the end of July, pending official guidance and the release of grant agreements, however if there is a delay, there is still a possibility of another program pause on 8/1/25,” the statement said.
The Trump administration described the Senior Community Services program as ineffective, saying it “has difficulty transitioning even one-third of its participants into unsubsidized employment.”
But Amanda Duncan, the alliance’s vice president and chief development officer, called it “a really impactful program that has served thousands of workers.”
