In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) home care providers speak out again that the county is responsible for lifting their wages and insist that paying for the county’s sex abuse lawsuits should not fall on their backs.
LOS ANGELES, CA—In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) caregivers—members of SEIU Local 2015, California’s largest labor union and the nation’s largest long-term care union—returned to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week to demand investment in home care and improve the lives of the County’s largest low-wage workforce. Representing more than 240,000 home care providers across Los Angeles County, these frontline workers were joined by care recipients and allies to urge the Board Of Supervisors to address the shortage of caregivers by improving wages, training, and other critical employment benefits in this year’s budget.
“Every time we show up and are ignored, it tells us we’re invisible in the eyes of the County,” said Rosa Andresen, an IHSS provider who cares for her daughter living with Cerebral Palsy. “I rely on Medicaid and food assistance to survive. I need this board to see us, to see our work, and to fund care like it matters—because it does.”
IHSS providers currently earn just $18.50 an hour—far below the $27.81 living wage required for a single adult in Los Angeles County. That number jumps to $48.65 for a single parent with one child. Nearly 70% of caregivers struggle to pay rent or a mortgage, 45% rely on CalFresh or food banks, and 87% work multiple jobs to get by. These are workers who care for our parents, grandparents, and neighbors—yet many cannot afford to care for themselves.
“I’ve faced homelessness while providing care in one of the most expensive counties in the country,” said Maria Torrez, a single mother and caregiver. “How does that make sense? We are the backbone of this care system, and yet we’re treated as disposable.”
In 2023 alone, over 10.6 million hours of authorized IHSS care went unfulfilled in Los Angeles County—evidence of a growing shortage of workers and a care system on the brink. Approved recipients are being left without support, and without livable wages, the County will continue to lose experienced caregivers who are forced to leave the work they love just to survive.
Caregiving is not just essential—it’s a necessary and sound economic investment. For every dollar the County invests in IHSS wages, it contributes just 17 cents, with state and federal funds covering the rest. Even a modest raise could generate nearly $770 million in disposable income, support thousands of jobs, and bring in tens of millions in new tax revenue.
“Investing in IHSS is both a moral and economic imperative,” said Carmen Roberts, Executive Vice President of SEIU Local 2015. “That investment brings in nearly a billion dollars in outside funding and supports thousands of local jobs.”
Public support for these essential care providers is overwhelming. A recent poll shows that 84% of voters support raising IHSS wages to $25 an hour, with strong backing across political affiliations, regions, and racial groups.
SEIU Local 2015 is urging the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to end the pattern of exclusion and underinvestment. The union is calling for a commitment to livable wages, affordable healthcare, and robust training and career pathways.It’s time to treat care like the essential infrastructure it is—and to support the workers who make it possible. To learn more about SEIU Local 2015 visit www.SEIU2015.org or on social media @SEIU2015.