Welcome to the first edition of the brand new Voices for Independence Attendant Newsletter! Bookmark this page to always have quick, easy access to the latest edition! Past editions will be archived and linked at the bottom of this page, for easy reference.
New Erie Training & Conference Center
Voices For Independence is excited to announce the opening of our brand-new Training and Conference Center in Erie! All Erie-based training sessions will be held in the new building, located just a block away from the main Erie office, at 5410 W Lake Rd, Erie, PA 16505. Designed to provide an engaging and productive learning experience, the new Training and Conference Center has both classroom settings and hands-on training rooms as well. We can’t wait for you to see it in person!
Attendant of the Month
VFI would like to congratulate ___________________ for being our Attendant of the Month! Their hard work in clocking in/out using the HHA app has their EVV Utilization at _______%! For all their hard work, they’ll receive a Giant Eagle/GetGo gift card. If you see ____________, be sure to congratulate them. If you’d like to be considered for Attendant of the Month honors, please ensure that you are using your HHA app!!
Advocacy
The average hourly wage of DCWs in Pennsylvania is $13.40/hour. MIT’s Living Wage Calculation for 1 adult with 1 child in Pennsylvania is $42.24/hour.
Some sobering facts:
- More than 400,000 seniors and medically fragile Pennsylvanians rely on in-home care.
- More than 112,500 home care shifts go unfilled monthly in Pennsylvania, with staff shortages as the primary culprit.
- Since 2010, there have been three rate increases for PAS. These increases averaged just 1% per year, while inflation averaged 2.6%.
The only way to make quality, accessible care a reality for our most vulnerable Pennsylvanians is to invest in our direct care workforce. If we don’t, many people with disabilities and seniors will be forced into nursing homes and other long-term living facilities. These institutions are not only more restrictive than independent living, but they are also more costly. To join the movement, please visit the following link UHWP- Front Page – United Home Care Workers of Pennsylvania
Important Information
- All Attendants: Please press 1 when calling in to the office. This will direct you to anyone in the PAS department, who will answer any questions or help figure out any problems that you may be experiencing.
- Our annual Consumer Pig Roast and disAbility Health fair will be held in August! Washington’s event will be held on Thursday, August 14 and Erie’s event will be held on Thursday, August 21! Please remind all consumers you work with to register so that they don’t miss it!
- If you need help paying housing or transportation bills, you may qualify for our PHARE Grant. If you have any questions about the PHARE Grant, please call your designated VFI office and press 1. Someone in the PAS department will be able to help you.
- If you are interested in fighting alongside the union to raise our rate of pay, please click the following link, which will take you to the union’s website and where you can learn more about getting involved in the fight for 15: United Home Care Workers of Pennsylvania
- The union also provides training courses, if you are interested in advancing your education. The majority of classes are held online, with just a handful being held in person. For more information, please click the following link: The Training Fund
- VFI is in the process of starting a Skills Development Program. If you have any suggestions of items that you’d like to see added to the curriculum, please email Training Support staff Missy Stritzinger, at mstritzinger@vficil.org.
- Be sure to check out the following link containing April’s Activities Calendars for both the Erie and Washington office: VFI April 2025 Activities Calendars
