Catholic Charities Receives $491,150 Workforce Inclusion Grant
Center for Workforce Inclusion, Inc. awards grant directed to assist in workforce training for job seekers 55+
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (July 23, 2024) – Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend (CCFWSB) announced today that it was awarded a $491,150 Workforce Inclusion grant from the Center for Workforce Inclusion, Inc. (Center). Almost 90 percent of this grant – originally from the U.S. Department of Labor – will provide temporary employment to no less than 84 low-income older Hoosiers living in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Wabash, and Whitley Counties. These older adults will participate in the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), a cornerstone program of the Older Americans Act and the only federal job training program targeted exclusively to low-income, older job seekers.
In its 59th year, SCSEP promotes personal dignity and self-sufficiency through work. The training attained through SCSEP provides in-demand skills for older, unemployed, low-income Americans. The Center, a top-tier U.S. Department of Labor National Grantee of SCSEP, works through a network of local partners delivering career training programs for eligible 50-plus-year-old workers across the United States. To date, the Center has helped more than 500,000 gain unsubsidized employment from the SCSEP program.
“Our long-term, local partners are a key to the strength of the Center and provide the systems to train older Americans into strategic advantage for employers across the country,” said Gary A. Officer, Center for Workforce Inclusion President and CEO. “We are very pleased to continue our support of Catholic Charities for the 21st consecutive year.”
“SCSEP helps our community’s eligible 55+ job seekers learn new skills and refresh old ones when they are coming back into the workforce,” said Dan Florin, CEO of CCFWSB. “At their training sites, SCSEP job seekers help local community, faith-based, and public agencies carry out their mission, such as the American Red Cross, Fort Wayne Urban League, and Whitley County Council on Aging.”
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About Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend:
Catholic Charities is a private 501 (c) 3 incorporated in the state of Indiana to act as the coordinating and administrative agency for the charitable activities assigned to it by the Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend; to plan for, initiate, direct, support and coordinate Catholic social-services programs for the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical welfare of persons in need; to seek and determine the causes of social problems in order to better promote preventative social-action programs; to participate in community planning and organization, and work cooperatively with other individuals and groups in the field of social work. The service area for Catholic Charities includes the 14 counties of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, encompassing 2,236 square miles, with a population of 1,247,850. Currently, Catholic Charities has offices in Fort Wayne (Allen County), Auburn (DeKalb County), and South Bend (St. Joseph County), Indiana. In Fiscal Year 2022-2023, CCFWSB served over 21,000 individuals at a fiscally responsible rate of 88 cents of every dollar dedicated to client services. The agency’s mission is to serve all those in need as Christ calls us to do.
About the Center for Workforce Inclusion
The Center for Workforce Inclusion has led the way in age-inclusive workforce development for over 60 years. We collaborate with training experts nationwide to equip experienced older workers with the skills required to succeed in the evolving modern workplace, and we connect employers with experienced workers who fit their specific company needs. As a 501(c)(3) organization, our goal is to help employers benefit from the unique strengths of older workers while ensuring that older workers stay competitive in a changing job market. For more information, please visit www.centerforworkforceinclusion.org.