In-Home Supportive Services Consortium

Community Involvement
Useful Links

Workforce Support
The Consortium works with SEIU–United Healthcare Workers West, the IHSS Public Authority, City College of San Francisco, and other worker and educational advocates to address workforce needs.

Regionally, we’ve played an active role with the California Commission on Health and Safety and Workers’ Compensation Workforce, Health and Safety Specialist Project (in conjunction with the Labor Occupation Health Program, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley) to develop a training model for Home Care Providers that stresses workplace health and safety.

And nationally, we’ve participated in a National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) study to assess assistive equipment that prevents worker injuries.

The Consortium maintains close ties with other community-based organizations. Many of our past and present Board of Directors members are from our founding agencies or other organizations serving San Francisco’s elderly, including Kimochi, Inc., Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Jewish Vocational Services, Catholic Charities, Meals on Wheels, Bethany Center Senior Housing, Northern California Presbyterian Homes, On Lok Inc., Self-Help for the Elderly, Bayview-Hunters Point Multipurpose Senior Center, and the Institute on Aging. Their involvement in program development and oversight assures a commitment to quality and accountability.

The Consortium collaborates with public and private entities to accomplish mutual goals that would be difficult to achieve alone:

Long Term Care Coordinating Council (LTCCC) — advisory body to the Mayor on policy, planning, and implementation of a long-term care system in San Francisco. The Consortium’s Executive Director co-chaired the Long-Term Care Pilot Project, which developed San Francisco’s Living with Dignity Strategic Plan through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
San Francisco Partnership for Community-Based Care & Support — network of more than 70 private and public organizations working together to improve access to services for older adults and adults with disabilities. The Executive Director co-chairs the Workforce Training and Retention Workgroup, funded by the RWJ Foundation, which is working to improve recruitment, training, and retention of home care workers.
Coalition of Agencies Serving the Elderly (CASE) — advocacy group mobilizing efforts to secure financial and political resources for home- and community-based services for seniors and people with disabilities. CASE provides educational forums and community outreach, and promotes the contractor voice. The Executive Director served two years as President.
Human Services Network (HSN) — an association of over 110 community-based non-profit agencies addressing public policy issues critical to human services and public health. The Consortium is a member and liaison for aging, long-term care, and workforce issues.
Planning for Elders in the Central City (PECCC) — coalition of agency representatives, in-home health care workers, union representatives, and consumers to inform and rally the public on local and state legislative issues. The Consortium was an early member of the IHSS Task Force Task Force, dedicated to improving the IHSS program for clients and workers.
Homecoming Project — collaborative of the San Francisco Senior Center, Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, Little Brothers–Friends of the Elderly, and Project Open Hand to provide case management services to frail, isolated seniors upon discharge from hospitals. The program reduces hospital readmissions and fosters independent living.


	Training Initiative

	The home care workforce faces severe labor shortages in the years ahead — deepening the crisis in long-term care faced by the elderly and disabled. In addition to decreased public support for training and competition from higher paying, less demanding jobs, there are simply fewer women (the overwhelming majority of home care workers) entering this labor market. And turnover in this industry is incredibly high. The San Francisco Partnership for Community-Based Care & Support has explored how to address this crisis. The Homecare Workforce Recruitment & Retention Workgroup was formed to improve the recruitment, training and retention of home care workers. Based on its research and on the strong collaboration formed between public and private home care agencies, the Workgroup has proposed the development of a Homecare Training Institute to provide a comprehensive center for: » community-wide recruitment of home care workers » screening » standardized training » job placement » continuing education » ongoing support The Institute would provide a seamless career path for home care workers from the classroom through job placement, including on-the-job skills training, evaluation, internships, and ongoing educational opportunities. And it would establish uniform standards for these para-professional workers, increasing the employability of entry-level workers and “careerizing” the home care workforce.