CITRUS COUNTY — Citrus County seniors on a fixed income are looking to get back in the workforce.  

A program in Citrus Country is helping seniors get back on their feet. 

Dawn Amell is new to the program. She said, “I was doing home care, COVID came, I lost my clients. I was out of work for a year and I’ve decided, 'I’m getting 62 and I’m getting tired.' It’s hard, home health work, it’s hard on your physical being.”

With the help of the senior service employment program provided by the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Amell is now working as a receptionist.

Sandra Minton is the job counselor. She said, “It’s not limited to just blacks, it’s for anybody who’s over 55, unemployed, who would like to go back into the workforce.”

“I wanted to be trained in some reception area and a program just like this is just perfect for me,” Amell added. 

In a time like today, the ladies say they are glad this program exists.

Minton said, “The importance of it primarily is to help seniors have some type of supplemental income while they are training so that they can go back into the workforce and be productive again.”

Through the senior employment program, Amell works 20 hours a week and gets paid at minimum wage, just enough for what she was looking for.

She said, “I’m too young to be retired, I can’t afford to retire. It’s a necessity that I need, I’m on Social Security and disability, and I need a part-time job, and I just wanted something that was in the same field but not as taxing.” 

The four-year program provides them with the skills they need and also helps them find a permanent part-time job throughout the county. Minton said the program is currently looking for more host agencies to help these seniors with job placements.