Urban Senior Jobs Program

Finding employment opportunities for seniors across America

Advances in technology and in changes in the nature of the work have unintentionally made finding employment for older Americans much harder. In response to these trends, the National Urban League established the Urban Senior Jobs Program (USJP), a subsidized service-based training program for low-income persons 55 years old or older who are unemployed and committed to finding employment opportunities.

Our Approach

USJP provides subsidized service-based training for low-income persons 55 years old or older who are unemployed and committed to finding employment opportunities. Authorized by the Older Americans Act, under which the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) was established, the National Urban League’s Urban Seniors Jobs Program encourages self-sufficiency by providing participants with useful, subsidized employment training that leads to unsubsidized employment.

Our unique approach, honed over the years, combines the following:

A High Level of Trust

A Close Connection with the Target Population

A Multitude of Wraparound Services

Strong Employer and Host Agency Relationships

A Solid Operational Infrastructure

2025 Empowerment Goal:

Every American has access to jobs with a living wage and good benefits

Accomplishments

With more than 35 years of Program experience and a reputation for providing high-quality services to its communities, the National Urban League can meet the needs of unemployed, economically insecure seniors by preparing and assisting them for employment.

Between 2007 and 2019, 2,086 participants of the Urban Seniors Jobs Program (USJP) were placed into jobs.

89%

of all participants lived below the poverty level prior to entering the program

80%

of all participants lacked college education

25%

of participants placed into jobs by the end of 2019 retained employment in 2020 during the pandemic

By design, every person recruited by the USJP is afflicted with two or more “most-in-need” characteristics. To be characterized as such, these participants have a disability, live in an area with persistent unemployment and/or have limited employment prospects, have limited English proficiency, have low literacy skills, reside in a rural area, are homeless or at-risk of homelessness, or are veterans.

Through the USJP, these recruited participants receive workforce-based training services and work an average of 20 hours per week through community service assignments while earning the highest federal, state, or local minimum wage. These assignments allow participants to be placed into a wide variety of community service activities at non-profit and public facilities, including daycare centers, senior centers, schools, and hospitals. Community service training serves as a bridge to unsubsidized employment.

1. Paid Community Service Placement

2. Case Management Support

3. Individual Employment Plan

4. Job Placement and Retention

5. Virtual Career Fairs

6. Financial Literacy Training