JFREJ members, elected leaders, older adults, disabled people, and home care workers came together in Midtown on Tuesday to re-launch the "Fair Pay for Home Care" campaign.
MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- Elected leaders, dozens of seniors, and home care workers came together in Midtown Tuesday to launch the "Fair Pay for Home Care" campaign.
New York officials want to raise home care wages to 150% of the minimum wage by passing the bill.
Elected leaders say New York State faces the worst home care shortage in the nation, and low wages are the single largest driving factor.
About 57% of New York State home care workers currently receive public assistance, and 49% live in or near poverty.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams spoke about the care the workers provide for loved ones while at home.
"Pretend that these our brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas and lets treat them like how we treat our own family," he said. "You want to be able to stand on your own, have the mental capacity, being in a place that's comfortable and not like the way of the hospital."
New York will have nearly 1 million job openings in home care by the year 2028.