Proposed Bills Would Bump Up Pay for Those Caring for North Carolina's Most Vulnerable
In 2004, two weeks after her high school graduation, Brittany Stone was driving to pick up her younger sister from vacation Bible school during a storm. She hit a pothole and lost control of her vehicle. In the accident, she suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Seventeen years later, Stone has landed a place at Whittecar Group Home in Raleigh, where she and five other residents get the help they need to live their lives. For the most part residents at the group home can take care of their basic needs, but Stone, for example, has trouble washing her back and hair because of tremors. She uses a walker to get around, but she does chores around the house. She can’t drive or run to the store independently.
The people who help the six residents live their lives start at a salary of $11.50 an hour. For Lutheran Services Carolina, the agency that runs Whittecar, it has been challenging to hire employees to help those with conditions similar to Stone’s. This year, with the pandemic, has been a particular challenge, especially since there needs to be a staff member at the house 24 hours a day.
Rholanda Artis, the program director for Whittecar, said the low wages turned away some potential employees.
Read more: https://indyweek.com/news/northcarolina/proposed-bills-would-bump-up-pay-for-those-caring-for-north-carolina-most-vulnerable/