Announcing the Charlotte B. Nelson Direct Care Advocacy Fund
The goal of the Charlotte B. Nelson Direct Care Advocacy Fund is to promote providing direct care workers (DCWs) a wage consistent with the importance of the care and support they provide for Iowans of all ages and abilities through:
Conducting, promoting, and supporting Iowa and DCW-specific wage data research that represents the voices of DCWs and includes a comprehensive analysis to identify critical issues related to current and future DCW wages.
Working with DCWs along with health, long-term care, and home and community-based service employers; fellow advocates; educators; family caregivers; consumers; and the business community to increase awareness about the impact of wages on direct workforce shortages and access to needed services, including the drain on Iowa's rural and urban economies due to the lack of current and future available direct care.
Using data and analyses to advance policies and strategies to raise DCW wages over the next five years and reduce their reliance on worker supports such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Medicaid, childcare, and housing subsidies, and working two jobs to make ends meet.