SPOKANE, Wash. — A pause in federal funding is leaving some senior citizens jobless and nonprofits without the volunteers they depend on.
Five regular employees are missing from the Salvation Army thrift store on Division. They’ve been furloughed while the U.S. Department of Labor put funds for the Senior Community Service Employment Program on pause.
This program pays low-income seniors minimum wage to work at part-time at local nonprofits for up to four years.
“When you lose employees or volunteers, there’s a great impact on the whole circle of the day,” said Anna Moran, Salvation Army store manager. “How things are processed, how much merchandise is on the floor for customers, and not having enough cashiers for customers. So it affects the whole business.”
The unexpected pause started on July 1. Store manager Anna Moran says she’s had to pick up a lot of the slack around the store since losing five employees.
“On top of my responsibilities, I’m now doing an employee position,” Moran said.
The furloughed workers run registers and do pricing to build skills to get them job-ready, according to Moran.
Some employees are struggling to make ends meet, going one month without a paycheck.
“It’s helped me out financially. Just being out exercising, moving around and having a good time,” said Ray Gongora, a furloughed SCSEP participant. “Things are very tight now. I just have to readjust my whole life.”
The loss of income has created serious financial hardship for participants.
“One of the girls, the other day, she just stopped in, and she’s like, ‘well, I might be getting evicted’ because now she doesn’t have rent,” Moran said. “When you take away that income –18 hours at minimum wage — now she’s lost a whole month.”
Those who received SCSEP funding through the state grant have been cleared to return to work, but many are waiting for an update from the Department of Labor.
As of August 1, the department states that the funding is still under review.
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