Home care workers provide support to people with disabilities and older adults so that they may receive care and remain in their own homes. Widely preferred by care recipients and the aging adult population , home care is one of the fastest-growing jobs in the country. Yet home care workers — who are disproportionately women, and Black, Indigenous, and people of color — are under-paid and undervalued, contributing to chronic staffing shortages and high turnover in the field.
This case study is based on in-depth interviews and a statewide survey sent to 42, caregivers and completed by 5, caregivers who received hazard pay in Washington State. Caregiver Lauren Evans is no longer experiencing homelessness. For the first time in years, she and her three kids have an apartment of their own. For Brenda Morgan, hazard pay is the joy of buying a washer and dryer and taking her family out for ice cream on Sundays.
Sarreh Jarju still works 80 hours a week, but she no longer has to go to the food bank or pray that her kids will have enough to eat. But in January of , with the money from hazard pay, we were finally able to get our own place.
I make just enough to cover it. I dream of having enough money to give my kids their own rooms, but at least we have a home right now. That freaks me out, especially since I have kids. Black, Indigenous, and caregivers of color, as well as caregivers who speak a language other than English and caregivers raising children often experienced the most economic hardship before hazard pay and saw the biggest net improvement from higher wages. Caregivers described their love for their clients and their work, but many also said they have considered quitting due to low wages.
When surveyed, many caregivers reported that higher wages recruited them to the field or encouraged them to stay:. Higher wages will help to ensure that there are enough caregivers to meet the growing demand, and that there are caregivers with enough long-term experience in the field to provide quality care.
