The Providers’ Council visited the State House today to testify in support of its pro-workforce agenda at a hearing with the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.
The Council urged members of the committee to advance An act relative to a loan repayment program for human service workers (S.77 / H.214) and An act relative to a livable wage for human services workers (S.84 / H.191), emphasizing that the two bills are essential to addressing the human services sector’s dire workforce crisis.
“This legislation will ensure the community-based human services sector can recruit – and, more importantly, retain – qualified staff who are needed to provide essential services to Massachusetts residents,” said Council President and CEO Michael Weekes. “As our sector has more than 160,000 jobs, this legislation is of the utmost importance as we try to reduce turnover and vacancies in this critical field.”
NFI Massachusetts Executive Director Lydia Todd and Road to Responsibility President and CEO Chris White also testified in support of the Council’s legislative agenda, as well as Kristy Buck, a clinician at The Key Program; Danielle Lopez, a case manager at Bay Cove Human Services; Amy Jozan, an intensive care coordinator at Justice Resource Institute; Elizabeth O’Callahan, an LMHC at Seven Hills Foundation; and Priscilla Weldon, a program director at The Gandara Center.
Click here to view the Council’s full testimony for its livable wages bill. Click here to view the Council’s full testimony for its loan repayment bill.
For more information, please contact Bill Yelenak.
Back to All News