Home care for aging parents, adults with disabilities in Philadelphia

Leaders at the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, which represents about 700 home care, home health and hospice agencies, say the industry’s workforce, about 290,000 people, is not growing at the same pace as the client population.

Low pay, moderate benefits and high burnout are making it increasingly hard to attract and retain workers, said association leaders, who estimate more than 112,000 direct care shifts go unfilled every month because of shortages.

“When you already can’t find somebody to do the work and then you’re not paying those folks well, those folks can go somewhere else and make more money,” Harris said. “Then you have more people who should be getting services, who need those services, who aren’t.”

Harris, who represents parts of South and West Philadelphia, recently met with families who depend on home care services, like the Walker family.

A home care worker comes by a couple times a week to support Barbara Walker’s adult son, Anthony, who has an intellectual and developmental disability.

In the past, Walker said she would often have to take off from work to stay home if Anthony was having a bad day or needed specialized services.

“It was hard. It was really hard,” she said. “It took a whole lot of time and patience.”

HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHP) — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill Tuesday that would raise the minimum wage statewide.

The bill would raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $11 per hour starting Jan. 1, 2027. The minimum wage would then increase to $13 per hour in 2028 and finally $15 per hour in 2029.

Representatives voted 104-95 to pass House Bill 2189, which is sponsored by Rep. Jason Dawkins, the House Democratic Communications Office announced Tuesday.

If the bill passes, counties would have the option to implement the $15 per hour minimum wage sooner than 2029. The bill would also set the minimum wage for tipped employees at 60% of the statewide minimum wage.

Pennsylvania’s minimum wage was last raised in 2009 when the federal minimum wage was increased to $7.25, House Democrats wrote in a press release.

The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration.

“Research shows that increasing the minimum wage does not lead to job losses or business closures,” Dawkins said. “What it does lead to is financial security and better life outcomes for families relying on minimum wage work. To my colleagues in the Senate, I implore you to take up this bill and finally raise the wage in Pennsylvania.”