On the Ballot: Missouri Consumers and Homecare Workers Aiming for Quality Homecare

When voters throughout Missouri go to the polls on November 4, they will not only be choosing a new President and a new Congress.

They will also have the opportunity to vote for Proposition B mandating a Quality Home Care Council (QHCC) to help ensure that Missouri's growing population of seniors and people with disabilities can live independently at home instead of an institution. The QHCC would run a statewide worker registry and backup system, offering trainings, and negotiating with caregivers to improve wages and benefits.  

Currently the state's 8,000 homecare attendants fend for themselves as "self-employed" and many consumers have lost home services because of funding cuts.

Proposition B was placed on the ballot after a massive grassroots campaign gathered more than 200,000 signatures of registered Missouri voters through house-to-house visits, town hall meetings and other gatherings.

"People live better lives thanks to home caregivers like me because they can remain in their own homes," said St. Louis homecare worker Tasha McGhee, a leading activist in the Proposition B movement. "The freedom of living at home is threatened when you've got a revolving door of care because workers leave for better paying jobs."

The consumer-led QHCC would address the critical challenges of workforce recruitment and retention, proving voluntary training and career development options to ensure quality home care. It would also help connect people who need services with workers through a statewide workforce directory, and provide backup services when a homecare worker is unavailable. The council would also allow workers a voice through a union if they so choose.

Similar councils have been created in California, Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Wisconsin and Massachusetts, with positive results.

For more about the Missouri campaign, visit www.moqualityhomecare.org