Join Our Fight to Demand that Supervisors Put Care First in Fresno!
Urge the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to stop leaving millions of federal and state dollars unused at the table as investing in homecare is investing in Fresno! Please join us by lending your voice to our fight. Together, we can deliver the message to the Board of Supervisors that it’s time to Put Care First in Fresno County. Anything less is unacceptable to those who rely on this care and the caregivers who provide it.
Sign the petition below to tell the Fresno Board of Supervisors that Investing in Care is Investing in Fresno!
Every day, nearly 25,000 In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) home care workers provide care to our low-income seniors and people with disabilities living in Fresno County. Because of the work of caregivers, our loved ones are able to live safely at home where they want to be rather than unnecessarily being placed in facilities which costs taxpayers millions of dollars. However, this vital care is in jeopardy due to the low wages county caregivers earn and the lack of access to health care.
It’s time we tell the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to Put Care First by recognizing and investing in the important work of home care providers. We must lift caregivers out of poverty, provide access to healthcare, address the growing care crisis, bring much needed federal and state dollars into Fresno County.
Click or tap the link below to read more.
Put Care First: Lift Fresno County Caregivers Out of Poverty
Today, Fresno County IHSS providers earn $16.60 an hour. Yet, according to MIT, a living wage for a single parent of one child in Fresno County is $35.90. Today, Fresno County home care providers are asking the Board of Supervisors to lift them out of poverty and get them closer to a living wage by placing them on a path to earning $20 an hour over the next three years.
Put Care First: Address Fresno’s Care Crisis
Because of low caregiver wages, Fresno County is facing a care crisis. Nearly 1 MILLION authorized hours of care that our seniors and those with disabilities require are going unmet annually due to the lack of caregivers available to provide care. That means that hours of care that a social worker has deemed necessary for the health and safety of our loved ones are not being delivered because there simply aren’t enough caregivers to do the work. As our senior population continues to age and the demands for care increase, the crisis will only get worse unless we act today.
Put Care First: Bring Millions of Federal and State Dollars to Fresno County
A vast majority of the wages and benefits approved by Fresno County for IHSS providers are paid for by state and federal dollars. In fact, for $1 in wages and benefits, Fresno County only pays $0.16. There is no better investment for a county to make than in the IHSS program. By raising County IHSS worker wages from $16.60 to $20.00 an hour over three years, an additional $144 million in state and federal funds in brought into our local communities, creating jobs and increasing tax revenue.
Put Care First: It’s a Win-Win-Win Opportunity for Fresno County
By investing in the wages of Fresno County caregivers, the Board of Supervisors is creating a win-win-win situation in that it 1) lifts workers out of poverty, 2) attracts and retains the workforce required to provide the care needed, and 3) infuses Fresno County with millions of federal and states dollars otherwise left at the table.
Join Our Fight to Demand that Supervisors Put Care First Fresno!
Urge the Fresno County Board of Supervisors to stop leaving millions of federal and state dollars unused at the table and ensure that caregivers have the wages and benefits that reflect the important work they do. Please join us by lending your voice to our fight. Together, we can deliver the message to the Board of Supervisors that it’s time to Put Care First in Fresno County. Anything less is unacceptable to those who rely on this care and the caregivers who provide it.
Update on Negotiations with Fresno County Board of Supervisors
In December 2023 Fresno County continued its stance of holding county home care workers in poverty by offering a total increase of just 35 cents and requiring any additional funds that would lift workers up to come from sacrificing their already limited healthcare. Holding healthcare hostage is wrong and disrespectful to caregivers. To make things even worse, Fresno County would rather rather pay over $5 millions of dollars a year to the state in fines for not respecting these vital workers than simply investing that money in care. Please join us in telling the Board of Supervisors to Put Care First in Fresno by caring about caregivers!
JOIN US IN TAKING ACTION TO PUT CARE FIRST:
Taking Action Is Easy!
- Sign the online petition above if you haven’t already done so.
- Call the Board of Supervisors directly and tell them to stop holding healthcare hostage and disrespecting the vital work home care providers do. It’s time the Supervisors Put Care First in Fresno County by prioritizing those who provide care! For details on how to reach the Supervisors, click here.
Recent media coverage includes:
ABC-30: In Home Care Workers Rally For Better Wages
KMJNow: SEIU In-House Caregivers Hold Awareness Rally in Fresno
FOX-26: Fresno In-Home Caregivers Host Vigil
FRESNO BEE: https://www.fresnobee.com/fresnoland/article273152250.html