Report: Maine’s direct care system is facing a crisis due to poor pay and low staffing

Stubbornly low wages have left the direct care workforce in Maine in a “fragile state,” leading to a significant labor shortage that has resulted in fewer available services for those in need, a report released Wednesday found.

The report, put together by Arthur Phillips and Josie Phillips of the Maine Center for Economic Policy (MECEP), found that the state’s direct care workforce issues stem from a “fundamental undervaluing of care.” The authors of the study urged lawmakers to address the issue by implementing policies to adequately compensate direct care workers, who often live in poverty or barely get by on their current wages.

Click here to read the full article, first published April 27, 2023 in Beacon.