One rents a spare bedroom in her client’s Berkeley home, paying $200 a month as she waits for word on her application for low-income housing. Another drives from Stockton to the East Bay four times a week because rental prices in her native Oakland became out of reach. A third commutes to Berkeley from Tracy, where she and her husband moved so they could afford to raise a family.
Across the Bay Area, where rising housing costs are driving out families, teachers and countless other professionals, the astronomical cost of living is taking its toll on a critical segment of the workforce: home care attendants for seniors and people with disabilities.
The pinch is affecting workers of all ages, across levels of management and specialities, making it harder for home care companies to recruit and retain people. It’s put a strain on the aides, who often log long hours doing physically demanding work for low wages and sparse benefits. Some local providers have been forced to shut down home care services altogether.
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