Direct-care workers in training

The House Committee on Financial Services passed the Public Housing Reinvestment and Tenant Protection Act of 2010 (H.R. 5814) on July 27, which includes provisions to fund training for public housing residents to become home health and personal care aides.

If enacted, a three-year, federal pilot grant program would be established to train public housing residents to provide home health and personal care services and supports to public housing and federally assisted rental housing residents who are elderly or living with a disability, including veterans.

Home care providers, community health centers, faith-based organizations, labor organizations, public housing agencies, and state and local government agencies that have established — or provide assurances that they will establish — an employment training program would be eligible to apply for a grant.

The funding is targeted to programs that primarily serve urban, rural, or Indian populations, as well as people in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Islands.

Under the act, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) would receive $2.5 million for distribution in each fiscal year: 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Recognizing Workers’ Needs

In addition to supporting home health and personal care aide training, the grant money could also be used to cover transportation and child care expenses for the public housing residents in the training programs.

“This model recognizes the needs that many home care aides have as they transition to work, particularly child care and transportation,” said PHI New York State Policy Director Carol Rodat. “Funding for these critical supports is seldom available, which is why the grants envisioned in this legislation are so important.”

Income earned from providing home care services will apply toward the public housing residents’ eligibility for federal housing on a graduated basis for the first three years, with no income applying in the first year.

These provisions of the Public Housing Reinvestment and Tenant Protection Act of 2010, sponsored by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), were taken from the Together We Care Act of 2009, introduced by Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) in December 2009 and cosponsored by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), the Financial Services Committee Chair, and Waters.

“Home care is a profession that will be in high demand for years to come and this legislation will offer hard-working public housing residents the tools they need to enter this field,” said Velázquez when she introduced the Together We Care Act last December.

– by Deane Beebe