ROCKLAND, Mass. — Human services organizations are rallying together to support care workers.
The rally, held at the Double Tree in Rockland, was standing room only on Friday morning.
Several community-based human services organizations and the people they serve all came together to voice their support for the caregivers behind the scenes.
Workers, who organizers say, are making a fraction of what they should be for all they provide.
The wait list for the community-based human services is already in the thousands.
“I get calls at least once a week, usually from an elderly parent, ‘Can you help me, my son is hitting me now, I can’t control him, we need help,’” Chris White, the CEO of Road to Responsibility, shared.
The Road to Responsibility provides a range of care services from around-the-clock care housing to day programs.
The day programs assist individuals with disabilities and help them volunteer, even work jobs.
Bella Testa works at the Road to Responsibility location in Marshfield and tells Boston 25 News she absolutely loves her job.
“I answer the phones, and do mail and say good morning to the people,” she explained.
None of these opportunities would be possible without the caregivers behind the scenes, like Frank Biancuzzo.
“It wasn’t too long ago that a lot of people in their positions would just be isolated, trapped in their homes, put away in mental asylums, almost like shunned from society itself. It’s a big priority for us to make sure they are seen as part of the community, not as guests,” he said.
“These workers are really the backbone of our sector, and it’s critical that we do whatever we can to try and increase wages for the right care staff,” Bill Yelenak, the President and CEO for the Providers’ Council, said.
Knowing the state can only take on so much, these organizations hope to keep helping people in their communities, like Laurie Tocchio, who couldn’t be more appreciative."
“They make me happy when I’m up and down. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am now,” Tocchio said.
Right now, there are several legislative priorities in the works that would help these community-based human services workers.
The list includes a bill that calls for a livable wage and eliminates the pay disparity that exists between the salaries of human services workers employed by community-based human service providers and state employees holding similar job titles.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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