Low wages, lack of benefits, limited opportunities for career growth, and other factors have resulted in a long-standing shortage of critical professionals who provide care. That shortage has become a dire crisis; today more than three-quarters of service providers declining new participants and more than half cutting services. As a result, people who need assistance often have no option except to move to a nursing home or other institution; people who want to leave these facilities cannot; and the health and safety of those who live in the community are put at risk.

Building capacity to support community living

Created by the Administration for Community Living, the Direct Care Workforce Strategies Center will provide technical assistance to states and service providers while facilitating collaboration with stakeholders to improve the recruitment, retention, training, and professional development of members of the direct care workforce.

The Strategies Center:

• Provides tools and training to assist state systems and service providers and support the development and coordination of policies and programs that contribute to a stable, robust direct care workforce.
• Facilitates peer-to-peer sharing of lessons learned and promising systems-change practices through learning collaboratives between state systems, including Medicaid, aging, disability, and workforce agencies; service providers; and disability, aging, and labor stakeholders.
• Maintains a clearinghouse of resources and promising practices for delivering person-centered support and services for people living in the community.

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