• Create and operate a registry to provide lists of screened workers to IHSS consumers for potential in-home employment
• Arrange training and support services for both workers and IHSS consumers
• Become employer of record for IHSS independent providers, allowing worker organization and union representation
• Provide formal opportunities for consumer and worker leadership in program and policy development
• Participate in the overall improvement of personal assistance services*

San Francisco's Public Authority brings together IHSS consumers and workers in partnership to foster the development of high-quality personal assistance services. The governing body of the Public Authority serves as a meeting ground for consumers, workers, and representatives of city government.

* Personal assistance services is more broadly defined than IHSS services, and includes assistance to persons of all income levels in carrying out activities that could be performed by themselves were it not for their disabilities.

• Planning for Elders in the Central City (PECC)
• Consumer groups, including The Senior Action Network (SAN), The Independent Living Resource Center (ILRC), and The Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW)
• Public agencies, including The San Francisco Department of Aging and Adult Services, The San Francisco Department of Human Services, The San Francisco Department of Public Health, and The California Department of Social Services.

A thirteen-member governing body provides oversight to the Public Authority. The governing body appoints a number of subcommittees, including the Finance Committee, the Nominating Committee, the Consumer Open Forum Committee and a number of ad hoc committees, including the Public Policy Committee.

As of April 2008, the Public Authority has seventeen staff members, most of whom are responsible for providing support services to IHSS consumers and workers.

The Authority received and spent $36,146,572 (the remaining 12%) in FY 2007-2008. The largest portion of these funds (90%) was used to pay for benefits for IHSS workers: $30,147,308 for health benefits (83.4% of total annual expenses) and $2,210,797 for dental benefits (6.6% of total annual expenses). The Authority spent $1,429,832 (4%) for worker trainings, registry services and processing payroll, plus administrative and miscellaneous expenses. The balance of the funds ($2,358,635 or 6%) was spent for staff payroll, benefits, taxes and expenses.

The Executive Director reports to the Governing Body, staffs committees, manages and evaluates ongoing operations, and works with other organizations to identify and address policy, program and funding options. The Executive Assistant aides the Executive Director in her tasks.

The Administration Unit manages the day-to-day operations and the administration of health and dental benefits for all independent providers. The Benefits Coordinator's primary assignment is to manage eligibility information for IHSS worker health and dental benefits. The Support Services Counselors perform the day-to-day registry work, inform the community about the registry, and recruit registry workers. The Program Manager oversees the Registry, On-Call Services and the Public Authority's Worker Training Program.

The Public Authority works with a number of consultants for legal counsel, audits, and program development. RTZ Associates has provided technical assistance in a broad array of areas from the beginning of Public Authority development: computer programming and information services; fiscal operations; staffing and organizational structure; legislative and policy analysis; and program design, development, and evaluation through the Board and all Committees.

Staff Members (as of March 2010):

• Donna Calame, Executive Director: Donna Calame became a lawyer out of a desire to effect change in health-care policy and its delivery system. This led to her involvement in the establishment of the San Francisco IHSS Public Authority and eventual selection as its founding director. Through her work here, she has met many extraordinary colleagues, who have taught her much about the arena of civil rights for people with disabilities. In September 2003, Donna was elected the first President of the California Association of Public Authorities (CAPA). She is continually grateful for and challenged by each phase in the development of the IHSS Public Authority.
• Patrick Hoctel, Executive Assistant: Patrick Hoctel moved to the Bay Area in 1982 from Tucson, Arizona. He serves as Donna Calame’s Executive Assistant. Born and raised in New Orleans, he previously worked at the Department of Aging and Adult Services (DAAS) and as an editor at the Bay Area Reporter. In 2001, he received a master’s in Gerontology from San Francisco State University.
• Bill Fricker, Deputy Director: Bill Fricker joined the Public Authority in March 2010. During his previous management work with local nonprofits (Schools, Mentoring and Resource Team and Support for Families of Children with Disablities), he demonstrated his commitment to ensuring the continued success of organizations with high-quality operations. Bill now welcomes the opportunity for his skills and experience to complement those of the staff here. He earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Northwestern University, and he worked for 12 years in the consumer-driven consulting field prior to entering the not-for-profit arena in 2001. He lives in San Francisco with his two teenaged daughters.
• Loc Chau, Fiscal & Operations Manager: Loc Chau oversees information systems, human resources and finances for the Public Authority. His responsibilities include accounting, budgeting, financial reporting and investment management of agency assets. Prior to his job here, Loc spent over 13 years in the Bay Area nonprofit sector, holding various management positions in finance and accounting. He received his B.A. and M.B.A. from San Jose State University. In his spare time, he enjoys an occasional round of golf.
• Maria Olivares, Program Manager: Maria Olivares was born in Managua, Nicaragua, and moved to San Francisco as a child. Maria has worked in nonprofits for over 30 years, including, most recently, a 20-year stint at Swords to Plowshares. Along the way, she also earned a B.A. in Social Sciences from San Francisco State and a law degree from Hastings College. Maria and her husband live with their two adult children in San Francisco. She describes her job as “challenging…not only doing team building with staff but also empowering the consumers, educating them about their rights and what services are available to them. I really believe that empowering people is what creates social change.”
• Sergio Alunan, Policy & Program Development Director: Sergio Alunan was born in the Philippines and moved to San Francisco as a child to receive therapy for Post-Polio. He returned to the Philippines to attend high school and La Salle College, where he majored in Liberal Arts and Psychology. Martial law brought the family back to San Francisco, where Sergio resided for 30 years. In 2002, he, wife Maria and son Brian relocated to Sacramento. Sergio has worked in different capacities for various nonprofit agencies: Independent Living Resource Center SF (intake coordinator), SF Public Authority (placement coordinator and community liaison), DHS (one of the first discharge liaisons for IHSS) and Yolo County Public Authority (executive director). In his spare time, he plays table tennis, studies the Bible, and enjoys quality time with his family and German shepherd, Deucy-June. About the Public Authority, he says, "I've been here from the beginning and believe wholeheartedly that maximum independence for the disabled and senior consumer and respect and recognition for the home care worker is a win-win for all."

• Edith Bello-Estrada, Training Specialist: Edith Bello-Estrada was born in Mexico City and moved to San Francisco when she was 13 years old. She has lived in the City for the past 19 years and is married with three wonderful children. She attended San Francisco State University and earned an associate's degreee in Accounting. Prior to the Public Authority, Edith worked at Home Depot for two years as a supervisor and then at The Arc of San Francisco for almost five years as an instructor for people with special needs. She says that "living in San Francisco has given me the opportunity of learning about different cultures. I love working with people, and working as a trainer will allow me to help people to provide quality services."

OPERATIONS

• Shirley Chan, Benefits Coordinator: Shirley Chan works as the IHSS Public Authority Benefits Coordinator. Born in Hong Kong, she speaks Cantonese in addition to English. She previously worked at Self-Help for the Elderly. Shirley is happy to answer any questions you might have concerning your health and dental benefits, including eligibility requirements.
• Cheryl Durley, Payroll/Operations Coordinator: A native San Franciscan, Cheryl Durley was born and raised in the Bayview-Hunters Point area, where she still resides. Prior to coming to IHSS Public Authority, she worked at San Francisco General Hospital’s Outpatient Administration unit, United Airlines and for Supervisor Sophie Maxwell’s office. Her experiences in these different positions eventually lead to her becoming an Administrative Assistant here in October 2002; she is now the Payroll Coordinator for the Authority as well. Cheryl enjoys the variety of people on the IHSS staff and sees her job as an opportunity to help older adults and people with disabilities.

PROGRAMS

• Yvonne Cunningham, On-Call Administrative Coordinator/Program Assistant: Yvonne Cunningham was born in Managua, Nicaragua, and moved to San Francisco as a youngster. She has two adult sons and two grandchildren. Yvonne has a 40-year work history. Twenty of those years were spent at Columbia Pictures as an Office Manager/Secretary, and ten were spent at the State of Missouri-Department of Revenue (San Francisco office) as a Secretary. Before joining the Public Authority, she worked at Sword to Plowshares as the Administrative Coordinator. When asked about her job here, she replies that she "really enjoys working with staff and assisting callers over the phone."
• Claudia Grubler, Support Services Counselor: Claudia Grubler was born in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She worked as a Spanish tutor for two years at City College of San Francisco, while studying graphic design. Claudia has extensive experience as a Spanish/English translator, interpreter and telephone interviewer. As a Latina and a quadriplegic, she has found it particularly rewarding serving her communities as an IHSS Public Authority Support Services Counselor.
• Shelia J. Auzenne, Support Services/On-Call Counselor: Shelia J. Auzenne was born in Alabama and has lived in the Bay Area most of her life. She now resides in the southeast section of the City with her husband. They have a college-age daughter. Shelia has extensive experience in the nonprofit sector. She worked as a Case Manager for the Northern California Cancer Center (BACCIS) project and in a similar capacity at other agencies thoughout San Francisco (Bayview-Hunters Point Senior Services, Christian Church Homes, Catholic Charities and IHSS Consortium). Shelia notes that "advocacy is my niche. I receive a great deal of satisfaction from helping others."
• Xiao Ying Li, Support Services/On-Call Counselor: Xiao Ying Li comes from a Chinese immigrant family. She was born in China in Guang Dong Province and has lived in San Francisco for the past thirteen years. She and her husband reside in Visitacion Valley. She speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and Toisanese. Xiao has worked with older adults and people with disabilities since graduating from high school. She enjoys working with these communities. Her previous job was as an Information & Referral Specialist at Network for Elders. Xiao states that "while I am empowering my clients, they are empowering me at the same time. We are learning from each other."
• Irina Selskaya, On-Call Program Coordinator/Support Services Counselor: Irina Selskaya was born in the Republic of Georgia. After obtaining a degree in Education, she worked in the Ukraine as an editor for the Center of Scientific and Technical Information and as an instructor at the College of Business Administration. Since 1998, Irina has been a Support Services Counselor at the IHSS Public Authority. She combines professional experience with a devoted commitment to the mission of the agency by meeting the needs of both workers and consumers.
• Moon Van, Support Services Counselor: Moon Van was born in Vietnam of Chinese parents. Before coming to IHSS in January 2000, Moon worked for the Unified School District, Housing Authority and the Chinese Newcomers Service Center. She speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and Chiuchow. In her role as Placement Coordinator for the IHSS Public Authority, Moon’s goal is to continue to use her language capacity, experience, skills and knowledge to serve her community.
• Laura Molina, Support Services/On-Call Counselor: Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Laura Molina has lived in the Bay Area for the past 15 years. She now resides in San Pablo with her husband and three children. Laura previously worked with Alzheimer’s clients and was a certified nursing assistant in the oncology department at the California Pacific Medical Center. When asked about her job here, she says, “I still enjoy helping the consumers. I understand their needs and know their expectations. But I also like interviewing the workers and getting to know them.” In the future, she looks forward to “helping more with the training classes, especially the ones in Spanish.”
• Vladimir Etalis, Support Services/On-Call Counselor: Vladimir Etalis was born in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Eighteen years ago, he came to the United States with his wife and son from the former Soviet Union; they now live in South San Francisco. In the U.S., Vladimir has worked as both a Mechanical and Software Engineer and in Customer Service, as well as working as an IHSS Independent Provider (IP) for eight years. He also served as an SEIU-UHW steward, fighting for the rights of older adults and people with disabilities and other IP's. When talking about IHSS consumers, he explains that he enjoys "making their current lives brighter."

Governing Body Members (as of May 2010):

• Board President: Alice Wong, Younger Consumer
• Vice President: Jim Illig, Commissioner, Dept. of Public Health
• Treasurer: Sharon Brunn, Senior Consumer
• Secretary: Patricia Webb, Younger Consumer
• Gustavo Serina, Commissioner, Dept. of Aging & Adult Services
• Kenzi Robi, Younger Consumer
• Rosie Byers, Union Representative
• Tatiana A. Kostanian, Mayor's Disability Council
• Kelly Dearman, Commissioner, Department of Human Services
• Elva Moran, Worker/Provider Representative
• Ethel Richardson, Senior Consumer
• Mike Boyd, Senior Consumer
• Luis Calderon, Younger Consumer

In May 1995, the Board of Supervisors of San Francisco City and County voted to create the first Public Authority with an independent Governing Body to manage and deliver in-home supportive services (IHSS).

From the beginning, San Francisco's Public Authority was a collaborative effort among consumers, workers, and other community advocates. These advocates were joined by the Department of Human Services, the county agency responsible for administering IHSS. A community agency, the IHSS Task Force of Planning for Elders in the Central City, received initial monies from the state and United Way grants to hire consultants for technical assistance in planning. With the guidance of a consumer-majority Governing Body and the newly hired staff, the Public Authority opened its doors to begin registry operations in September of 1996. On-call services were begun in December 1997, medical benefits for workers in March 1999, dental coverage for workers in January 2000, and expanded consumer support services in late 1999. In December 2000, county-only funds were provided to allow use of the Registry for private pay consumers on a sliding scale fee.

Timeline

1991	PECC IHSS Task force is established, having identified a need to focus on this crucial program
1993	State law allows counties to form public authorities
1994	Board of Supervisors passes resolution to draw down $250,000 in state funds to explore public authority option; $50,000 spent in planning
May 1995	Ordinance to establish IHSS Public Authority in San Francisco
July 1995	Consultants begin Central Registry design project
October 1995	First meeting of the Governing Body of the Public Authority
January 1996	IHSS hourly wage increase, 58 cents over minimum wage ($4.83)
February-July 1996	Public Authority staff positions filled and office located
May 1996	Independent Providers vote to have Health Care Workers' Local 250 of SEIU be their union
Late July 1996	First worker applications for Registry are recorded for screening
Late September 1996	First consumer referral lists created of screened, matched workers
October 1996	With minimum wage increase, IHSS wage now only 36 cents over minimum wage ($5.11)
October 1996	Public Authority and Local 250 undertake interest-based bargaining
March 1997	With another minimum wage increase, IHSS wage now only 29 cents over minimum wage ($5.29)
July 1997	First union contract ratified by IP workforce
July 1997	Board of Supervisors appropriates additional funds to keep IHSS wage 54 cents above minimum wage ($5.69)
December 1997	Emergency worker replacement (on-call) service begins
July 1998	Board of Supervisors raises IHSS wages to $7.00 an hour
March 1999	San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP) HealthyWorkers offered to IHSS workers
October 1999	IHSS wages increased to $9.00 per hour
December 1999	Outreach, Advocacy, Consumer Support, and Problem Solving services expanded
January 2000	Dental Plan available to workers
June 2000	Consumer Mentor program started
July 2000	IHSS wages increased to $9.70 per hour
December 2000	Registry services provided to private pay consumers
January 2001	PA Central Registry expands services to include private pay consumers
June 2001	PA Executive Director Donna Calame elected Co-Chair of SF Hospital Discharge Planning Task Force
April 2001	Wage increase to $10.00 per hour, PA adds vision benefits for qualified providers
September 2001	PA begins extending On-Call services to the San Francisco Senior Center's Homecoming Project
September 2001	PA hosts 3rd Where there's a Will, there's a Way Conference, 663 individual and 51 agency participants
April 2002	PA launches an IHSS enrollment campaign targeting San Francisco Latinos and culminating in April with Latino IHSS Awareness Month
August 2002	IHSS wages increased to $10.10 per hour
August 2002	IHSS wages increased to $10.10 per hour; Registry software becomes Internet-based
October 2002	Vision and Voice newsletter reaches 20,000 consumers and workers
February 2003	California Association of Public Authorities (CAPA) is formally established; PA Executive Director serves as interim President
March 2003	PA begins offering health and safety classes to workers in collaboration with the Shirley Ware Education Center of SEIU Local 250
June 2003	Website is re-designed and updated
July 2003	PA's Consumer Mentor Program plans training workshops
July 2003	Continuing level of HEALTHYWORKERS benefits preserved by PA paying higher premium
September 2003	PA Executive Director is elected as CAPA's president
September 2003	PA hosts 4th Where there's a Will, there's a Way Conference, with over 750 individuals and 54 agency participants
October 2003	Vision and Voice newletter reaches 25,000 consumers and workers
October 2003	Worker wages increase to $10.17 per hour
November 2003	PA begins collaboration with the Shirley Ware Education Center of SEIU Local 250 to create a suite of trainings for home care workers and to provide stipends for workers who attend the classes
December 2003	Worker wages increase to $10.28
January 2004	PA launches new Worker Training Program in collaboration with the Shirley Ware Education Center of SEIU Local 250, IHSS Consortium, and Arriba Juntos