Two years ago, Christi Tilson had to start over.
She’d just gotten out of prison after four years inside. Before that, Tilson was in the throes of addiction after a workplace injury.
“I was 60, coming out into the world with nothing,” Tilson said. “I had to figure out how to live in recovery.”
Tilson found support through the Senior Community Service Employment Program, a federal initiative that helps low-income adults over 55 learn new skills and build careers. With help from the program, Tilson got a job doing administrative work at Southeast Community Services.
“They motivate you, encourage you and provide you with the tools you need,” she said of the program. “It’s been a great experience.”
But Hoosiers like Tilson could be left in the lurch in a few months if widespread cuts to federal programs go through.
In May, President Donald Trump recommended eliminating funding next year for the senior employment program.
There’s still a chance, however, that federal lawmakers could step in to save the program. Congress has until Oct. 1 to set budgets for the U.S. Department of Labor, which funds the Senior Community Service Employment Program.
The senior employment initiative is just one of dozens of federally funded programs the Trump administration wants to get rid of in an effort to curb what it sees as wasteful government spending. And some are already feeling the effects. The U.S. Department of Education recently told states it’s putting a pause on over $6 billion in grant money that funds before- and after-school programs, migrant education initiatives and services for English language learners.
In a statement to Mirror Indy, U.S. Rep. André Carson called Trump’s attempts to cut funding for the senior program “yet another hypocritical move.”
“The (senior program) is our nation’s oldest job training program for older Americans and serves 31 Indiana counties,” the Indianapolis Democrat’s statement read, in part. “Cutting this program is careless and cruel — and I will oppose any efforts to cut it.”
A spokesperson for Republican Sen. Todd Young said Trump’s May budget proposal is “just a starting point” for funding federal agencies.
“We expect a greater focus on the annual appropriations in the coming days now that the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act has passed the Senate,” the statement read, in part.
Spokespeople for U.S. Rep. Jefferson Shreve and Sen. Jim Banks, both Republicans, did not respond to Mirror Indy’s request for comment by deadline.
Officials from Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana, which runs the program in Indianapolis, declined to comment on recent federal budget discussions. But earlier this year, staff told Mirror Indy that they are dedicated to helping older Hoosiers get on a path to fulfilling employment.
“All of our coaches try to move heaven and earth to get a person what they need that will help them regain their economic self-sufficiency,” Goodwill program administrator Kris Green said. “We find these ways to make it so that it’s like, ‘No, you’re not alone in this.’”
How the program works
Through career coaching and training, Goodwill aims to help older adults who may be struggling to make ends meet in retirement. In 2023, 14% of American adults over 65 were living in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Participants often have been out of the workforce for years when they enter the senior program. Some finished college or training before computers were widely used.
Digital literacy, therefore, is a major part of the curriculum. Participants take an assessment to evaluate how comfortable they are with operating a computer, navigating the web and using basic software. From there, the seniors are enrolled in additional training, if necessary.
Career coaches pair adults with jobs in their area of interest — everything from child care to customer service. While some seniors lean into skills from their past careers, others decide to do something new, further developing a long-held passion.
“We want them to be able to follow their hearts’ desire towards their dreams,” said Shelley Ashley, Goodwill’s vice president of mission initiatives. “Sometimes they just need some assistance in knowing how to do that.”
The program isn’t designed to be permanent, though. Per federal law, participants are paid minimum wage — which is $7.25 hourly in Indiana.
That’s why Green encourages workers to use their experience as a way into a higher-paying job. She tells them: “You are worth more than $7.25.”
“We are not this long road that goes on forever and ever,” Green said. “It’s a bridge that’s designed to help you get from where you are.”
However, it’s becoming unclear if that bridge will continue on.
Program’s future uncertain
The Trump administration first proposed eliminating the senior program when writing its discretionary budget proposal this spring. The Trump officials cited the program’s ties to groups such as the National Urban League and Easterseals. In a May 2 memo, the officials called those groups “leftist, DEI-promoting entities.”
In a more detailed document released May 30, the administration said the program was ineffective at creating economic independence and getting seniors into full-time jobs — though it did not provide evidence for these claims.
The Trump administration, however, doesn’t have sole control over the program’s funding. The Department of Labor’s funding for next year is separate from the bill Trump signed into law July 4.
And congressional lawmakers have until Oct. 1, the beginning of the 2026 fiscal year, to pass spending legislation.
That doesn’t mean the senior program is in the clear. Some agencies across the country are already making changes as they grapple with uncertainty over whether the program will be funded next year — or even for the next few months.
Programs in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Hawaii have been suspended or canceled due to federal funding woes.
The Indiana Department of Workforce Development — which runs a separate, but similar program to Goodwill — told workers not to report to their job sites while the state waits to receive its already-approved funding, according to the Ball State Daily News. That specific order doesn’t affect Indianapolis workers who are employed through the Goodwill program, though.
One Goodwill participant told Mirror Indy on July 7 that he was still working.
Though Goodwill officials declined to comment on how they’re grappling with federal changes, the organization’s website said they are not currently processing applications for the senior program.
Despite the upheaval, many Hoosiers, like Igor Kosachevsky, say the program has made a major difference in their lives.
Learning at every age
Kosachevsky was tired of his information technology job.
As he got older, he wanted to make more money to plan for his retirement. But he also worried about his health when sitting behind a computer all day. He wanted a job where he could move around and be active.
“You just sit and you feel like you’re getting weaker and weaker,” Kosachevsky said.
Kosachevsky, 57, decided to earn his commercial driver’s license, hoping that loading and unloading trucks would help him keep his strength. But he didn’t feel prepared to get behind the wheel immediately after completing his certification.
“I thought, ‘I can find a company that can start me slow, teach me,’ but they want (me) to hit the ground running,” he said. “I want to take this very, very slow, because I want to be safe on the road.”
As a way to ease into his new career, Kosachevsky decided to join the senior employment program. He’s been working as a driver at Goodwill Outlet Store on the east side for over a year, hauling items to stores across the city.
He likes both the active pace of the job and the work-life balance, which isn’t always guaranteed in trucking.
“I’m home every night,” he said. “It’s a very good deal.”
As for Tilson, she recently switched from Southeast Community Services to John Boner Neighborhood Centers, where she’s working three days a week as a receptionist. She’s improving her Microsoft skills and learning to assist with the center’s program that helps people pay their electric bills.
Today, Tilson feels like she’s able to offer people the help she needed when she was struggling years ago. But she’s also proven to herself that she’s capable of growing and gaining new skills.
“Even though I’m this age,” she said, “I can still learn new things.”
Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.
Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, on most social media @clairerafford or on Signal 317-759-0429.
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