Thursday, October 22 Noon to 1:00 SF City Hall Steps 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA October 21, 2009
In response to Governor Schwarzenegger’s attack on the IHSS Program, the IHSS Task Force of Planning for Elders will hold a noisy rally and press conference on the steps of San Francisco City Hall on Thursday October 22 from 12:00 – 1:00. The IHSS Task Force is a broad coalition of homecare consumers, disability rights organizations, labor, service providers, homecare workers, advocates and community based organizations. They are demanding that the City of San Francisco take immediate action to mitigate the economic earthquake that the Governor has created by slashing of income, health and long term care support programs to the lowest income Californians.
More than 8,000 seniors, persons with disabilities in San Francisco were set to lose some or even all of their homecare on November 1, putting over 1,000 homecare workers out of work. A judge has temporarily halted the November 1 implementation of the worst of these disastrous cuts, but many provisions are still moving forward.
The IHSS Task Force member groups will hold a noisy and festive rally at City Hall to draw attention to the “IHSS Earthquake” and to say “We’re Getting Prepared” for what’s ahead.
The IHSS Task Force is asking the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to commit a significant portion of the budget reserve to “prevent harm” to those impacted by current or future IHSS cuts. This includes:
Back-filling IHSS service cuts with local dollars and alternative meals and homecare programs;
Use federal “Jobs Now” stimulus dollars and other funds to keep current IHSS workers on the job;
Continue health benefits without a break of coverage for laid-off IHSS workers;
Continue and expand “share-of-cost” options under Medi-Cal to help low-income seniors and people keep to visit website for their health and long term care services.
Stop the current plans to fingerprint IHSS providers and consumers as expensive, ineffective, and disrespectful to low income Californians.
Vera Haile, IHSS Task Force member for over 20 years said, “These cuts to homecare will result in an erosion of peoples’ health, and increased isolation. While many IHSS consumers will see their hours reduced, around 2000 people will lose all of their homecare services. This is a disaster about to happen.”
The IHSS Task Force will create an IHSS Earthquake of their own, with hundreds of Seniors and People with Disabilities, stomping mad about state cuts that are causing continuing aftershocks.
The Task force will present their recommendations to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors following the rally.
Contact:
James Chionsini, MSW
IHSS Task Force of
Planning For Elders
415-703-0188 ext 304
james@planningforelders.org
check out our website: http://www.planningforelders.org
