21-03-2025
Home care workers ask Illinois lawmakers for $2 wage increase
SPRINGFIELD (WCIA) — Many seniors retire and want to live their retirement with ease and dignity, and some need home care to get through their day.
Taking care of seniors sometimes requires doing a two-person job; however, the state is facing a worker shortage, making it difficult to properly provide services.
Bill protecting Mahomet Aquifer from carbon sequestration passes House committee
Many home care workers gathered at the Illinois State Capitol to tell lawmakers they are having a hard time making ends meet, with seniors joining them, saying they are not getting the essential services they need. Advocate groups showed their support to push a bill that will increase the minimum wage for workers.
The rally took place Wednesday before the deadline for the bills to be heard in committee Friday as part of a month-long statewide push for fair wages. The event was led by SEIU Healthcare Illinois, Indiana, Missouri & Kansas, and other advocate groups. The call was for a $2 minimum wage increase from $18 to $20 per hour for home care workers within the Community Care Program.
SEIU HCIIMK Executive Vice President Erica Bland said the cost of living is expensive for workers, and this is impacting seniors directly.
UPDATE: Illinois homeschool bill passes; hundreds gather at State Capitol in protest
'Home care workers are leaving the industry because they simply can't afford to stay, can't afford to pay rent, afford the basic needs on poverty wages. And this reality is destabilizing our home care industry,' Bland said. 'When a worker makes the difficult decision to leave, a senior somewhere is losing their lifeline.'
Advocates were joined by other legislators under the rotunda to wave their support with optimistic words and cheers. Earlier this year, Sen. Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago) and Rep. Mary Beth Canty (D-Arlington Heights) both filed a bill to increase home care service wages to $32.75, which will then increase the minimum wage for direct workers to $20 per hour.
The bill also prevents providers from reducing workers' paid time off and training because of the new wage. Also, providers must inform the Department of Aging that they are complying with the new wage set, and by 2028, home care service providers must allocate 80% of their revenue to compensate workers directly.
This is all an effort to minimize the instability caused by low pay. According to SEIU Healthcare Illinois, seniors prefer to stay in the comfort of their homes. Not only is it cheaper—only costing $18,500 per senior compared to nursing facility care for $86,000 per senior.
Diana Inman was a home care worker for 20 years. Now, at the age of 75 years old, she is receiving home care herself at her home in Decatur. She said she still is experiencing the work toll, and with her health condition, not having a home care worker for a long time is not ideal.
'I'm still recovering from injuries and the physical toll working in home care had on my body. And now, as a home care recipient, people like me are struggling to access home care services that allow us to continue living independently in our homes because of a workforce shortage that is being driven by low wages,' Inman said. 'My regular girl was taken away from me, and it took them a whole week to finally find somebody to come in. That was rough.'
Sen. Villanueva said this fight is personal to her as she talked about her grandmother, who had a home care worker after being diagnosed with Parkinson's. As she was holding back her tears, she said home care workers become part of the family and help seniors retain their dignity.
State Police Director testifies before Senate on human trafficking bill
Jenny Smith is a home care worker in Champaign. She said the current pay is not sustainable.
'I love my job, but low wages have made it difficult to remain in this industry. I financially support both my mother and my uncle, and I personally struggle to afford the prescribed medication that I have for epilepsy,' Smith said, 'I believe that a higher wage increase would help keep more of us good home care workers around and hopefully, we'll only be able to work one job is to.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
