PROCLAMATION OF THE
MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
PROCLAIMING NOVEMBER 2023, AS
FAMILY CAREGIVERS MONTH
IN THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO
WHEREAS, 4,834 In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers who reside in the City of San Bernardino deliver quality care to close to 5,000 of our most vulnerable residents, including seniors and adults and children with disabilities, and;
WHEREAS, IHSS providers allow the county’s low-income seniors and people with disabilities to receive quality care in the comfort of their own home by people they trust instead of being sent to an institution giving consumers an opportunity to stay in the communities they know and love; WHEREAS, the selfless work of home care workers often goes unnoticed and the financial struggles caregivers and their families experience due to increased rents, cost of living and inflation further increase the dire need for livable wages in San Bernardino County.
WHEREAS, the frontline essential work that IHSS workers provided, and continue to provide, during the COVID pandemic while earning close to minimum wage with many not having access to affordable healthcare;
WHEREAS, approximately 58% of homecare workers need other forms of tax funded public assistance in order to survive;
WHEREAS, homecare workers spend about 50% of their monthly income on rent/housing; WHEREAS, the number of family and non-family members requiring in-home care will increase in San Bernardino County as our population of those 60 years and older doubles to over 550,000 by 2030, and;
WHEREAS, in order to meet the future demands of caregiving and improve the recruitment and retention of caregivers and ensure the continuity of care to seniors and those living with disabilities, we must ensure that home care jobs are good jobs that deliver dignity standards which include livable wages, access to affordable health care, retirement security, and advanced training, and a pathway to wages of $20 an hour.
WHEREAS, providing home care workers with a livable wage will generate demands for goods and services in the local economy, stimulate increased employment opportunities, and create additional income which will in turn lead to additional spending in San Bernardino County; NOW THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED THAT, the Mayor & City Council of the City of San Bernardino, do hereby designate November 2023, as Family Caregivers Month. The City of San Bernardino stands united with home care workers and the seniors and people with disabilities who rely on this vital care, acknowledging the essential work and contributions they bring to San Bernardino.