Community Care

We’re leading a Community Care Initiative in our local counties.

Pennsylvania has had a net outflow of residents over the past decades. Losing citizens to other states drains our economy and our communities.

As industries have been shipped overseas due to bad government policy, some vulnerable Pennsylvania towns have lost as many as two-thirds of their original residents. Since many of these industries were the main employers, workers left the area, fracturing PA families in their wake.

Like many working-class towns across the country, some Pennsylvania towns have been further hollowed out by the social push that emphasizes moving for a career. The effect has been that our younger generations are experiencing isolation in new towns where the higher salaries offered by their profession are outweighed by the higher housing costs in popular areas with an influx of new residents. So far from home, they have only their own income to rely on with little help from family.

Meanwhile, their parents are left in a similar situation back home. As they grow older, they cannot rely on their adult children to aid them and help them maintain their independence.

With younger residents leaving the state, it is estimated that one in three Pennsylvania residents will be over the age of 60 by 2030. Increasing healthcare needs and an expected rise in the number of patients experiencing dementia are concerns that need to be addressed now to ensure we are prepared in the not-so-distant future.

Older Pennsylvanians deserve a high quality of life in their retirement. They have worked hard to build our beloved local communities. We need to come together as communities to ensure that we give back to them.

We also need to address the reasons that so many younger Pennsylvanians see other states as greener pastures. Building integrated communities that offer a sense of home and increasing economic opportunity are some ways that we can encourage more of our youth to stay here, keep their hard work and innovation in our state, and raise the next generation of Pennsylvanians.

Building stronger, more resilient communities starts with integrative programs that reduce costs and bring people together. It continues with policies that help small businesses to start and thrive. It includes promoting local opportunities in the professional trades and revitalizing our downtowns by taking advantage of state grant programs.

  • Many Americans take time away from their careers to care for a loved one. Pennsylvania provides compensation for home health workers of about $15 an hour depending on the needs of the family member or patient.

    By contrast, certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who work in residential facilities with the elderly receive pay as low as $12 an hour which is comparable to the pay at a fast food restaurant and below the living wage for most areas of Pennsylvania.

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  • Integrating support programs not only creates efficiency and reduces wasteful redundacy, but it is a way to bring together members of the community and help them to support each other

    Community Centers that offer programs to seniors benefit from including programs for children and programs for adults with special needs

    These types of programs offer the added benefit of helping seniors maintain their independence and offering them an opportunity to share wisdom and find meaningful connections to the community. They give young people the benefit of caring elders and help adults with special needs feel valued as they are integrated in the community.

  • Building stronger more resilient communities must include policies that help small businesses to start and thrive. Reducing unnecessary zoning restrictions on number of parking spaces per business and allowing multiple small businesses to share space can make opening a business downtown more affordable.

    We do support state efforts to attract industry to Pennsylvania, but we believe that small businesses bring the sense of place of to a hometown and protect communities from the danger of being built around a single large employer.

  • While college can be a wonderful experience for some, it is not right for others. The mentality that pushes high school students into college studying for professions that don’t offer many employment opportunities in our state and encouraging them to move where the jobs are, discounts the value of family and community.

    Many college graduates who move away from family feel isolated in their new communities. High housing costs can offset the benefits of their higher salaries and being on their own without family and friends can make the financial strain even more difficult.

    Trade jobs are high-paying jobs that offer a middle-class life for many workers. The push for every student to go to college has left severe shortages in plumbers, electricians, machinists, welders, carpenters, and other professions. Most small towns require skilled trade workers. Programs that introduce young people to the opportunities of these professions will also help keep young people here.

    We support reinvigorating vocational and technical programs in our high schools. High school internships with local companies can give students an opportunity to experience the career that interests them.

  • Main Street and Elm Street grants are grants offered by the state to local municipalities for downtown rivitalization projects. The grants can be used to reface buildings and improve homes close to the town center.

    Like all grant programs, the state requires the municipality to match some of the funding. Unlike other grant programs, these programs allow the matching portion to come from donations and in-kind donations that can include time and labor of professionals who volunteer.

    Outreach to local professionals could bring benefits for students, the community, and trade professionals in need of employees. In exchange for an in-kind donation of their time and labor, trade professionals could work with local adult and high school student volunteers interested in their trade and use project results in advertising. Similar arrangements can help local municipalities take advantage of state funds for economic development without having to burden local taxpayers to offset costs.