Similar to fast-food workers who are waging a campaign to earn decent wages, Santa Clara County’s more-than-15,000 home care providers barely make enough to get by. Their work is not very visible to the public, but thousands of lives are entrusted in their care and their services allow clients to live independently, and with dignity, at home.
In-Home Supportive Services providers held a candlelight vigil at county headquarters on Wednesday, Dec. 11 in San Jose to call on the county to support home care workers and their efforts to provide Quality Care @ Home.
See photos and more videos on Facebook.
The state’s population is aging and the need for in-home care will only grow in the future. Today, Santa Clara County has about 200,000 individuals who are over 65 years old. By 2030, that’s going to double to be more than 1 in 5 residents. Santa Clara County has identified transportation and home health to be two of the most pressing needs for this segment of the population.
“The county needs to put the community first and support its home care program to ensure the most vulnerable population receives quality care at home,” said Yong Soung, who provides care for her niece with disabilities.
Joining the home care workers were local leaders of faith and elected officials including Assemblymember Paul Fong, Campbell Mayor Evan Low and representatives from the offices of State Sen. Jim Beall and Rep. Mike Honda.
Watch Assemblymember Paul Fong speaking in support of living wages for home care workers.
Watch Poncho Guevarra of Sacred Heart Community Services speaking in support of home care workers.
Watch the prayer for living wages for home care workers by Rev. Jethroe Moore of the Rehoboth Christian Center and President of San Jose/Silicon Valley NAACP.
Listen to home care workers singing “this little wage of mine…”
TAKE ACTION:
Join our campaign to put our “Community First” by supporting Quality Care @ Home.
Please like and share: facebook.com/seiu521homecare
Our Home Care workers help clients to live independently and with dignity at home; yet workers earn 63 percent below the living wage.
We are 17,600 Home Care workers who provide professional, personalized care to residents in Santa Clara County who are seniors, children and adults with disabilities through the In-Home Supportive Services program. As in-home care providers, our services help more than 17,000 clients to live independently and with dignity at home.
Given that the population is aging and the need for In-Home Supportive Services will only grow in the future, Santa Clara County needs to put our Community First and:
- Provide professional, personalized home care services
- Invest in and develop the home care workforce
- Increase access to home care through improved public awareness
See more photos on Facebook.
