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Keep Idaho Independent – It Starts at Home!

In-home care is every bit as important as flipping a burger. Currently in Idaho, the reimbursement rate for in-home care is way below what local businesses are paying for entry level jobs. The important and difficult work of helping people to lead dignified and independent lives, regardless of age or ability, is deeply undervalued.

This field of work is growing as the population ages, but pay rates are at poverty levels. This drives a high turnover rate and burn out which jeopardizes critical services.

Working together to stabilize the home care worker system through higher wages and better conditions is not only fair, it eases workers reliance on public benefits. Almost half of all home care workers live in households that receive public assistance benefits such as Medicaid, food stamps, and housing and heating assistance. Increasing their pay makes them likely to spend most of that increase on basic necessities like food, housing, and clothing, contributing to their local economies and spurring economic growth. And raising these wages is likely to benefit a workforce made of primarily women of color.

In-home care providers assist older adults or people with disabilities at their homes with personal care (assistance with eating, dressing, bathing, and toileting) and household services (meal preparation, shopping, light cleaning, and transportation). This allows people with disabilities to stay out of costly institutions. This line of work is projected to grow five times faster than jobs in all other occupations.

If you have trouble finding in-home care workers, contact your local state representative and tell your story.