The mission of San Francisco's IHSS Public Authority is to provide and promote a service delivery model of consumer directed, in-home support that maximizes the potential of older adults and people with disabilities to live independently and participate in their communities.
“Since I am without any family, it is crucial to have IHSS. It gives me some peace of mind to know there is someone I can call for help in an emergency.” Debbie S.
Milestones Along the Way: IHSS, Independent Living and the Public Authority
California provides in-home care through the Attendant Care program, giving grants to eligible consumers, who hired and paid their providers.
Birth of the Independent Living Movement, a worldwide movement of people with disabilities working for equal opportunities, self-determination, and self-respect. Ed Roberts, a severely disabled student, who fought to be admitted to U.C. Berkeley is credited with launching the Movement.
Center for Independent Living (CIL) launched by Ed Roberts in Berkeley. There are now 28 CILs across the country.
California Assembly creates the Homemaker/Chore Program, later renamed IHSS.
Establishment of current IHSS Program – state legislation identifies consumers as the employer and the state as responsible for payments and fiscal issues.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) signed into law.
California Senate authorizes the creation of county-level “home care public authorities” to oversee and manage the delivery of IHSS services.
SF Board of Supervisors votes unanimously to create the SF IHSS Public Authority (PA). First Public Authority to have an independent Governing Board.
Independent Providers vote for union representation by Local 250 (now SEIU Local 2015). PA is the employer-of-record for collective bargaining.
SF IHSS PA opens its doors, and Donna Calame is the first Executive Director.
On-Call Program is created to provide emergency services to consumers who don’t have a regular Provider available.
California Assembly requires each county to establish a Public Authority January 2003. Today, there are 56 IHSS public authorities in California, serving approximately 507,000 Consumers and 438,000 Providers.
SF Public Authority offers what was then the only comprehensive employer-sponsored health coverage for IP’s in the state. Dental coverage was added as an IP job benefit in January 2000.
California Association of Public Authorities (CAPA) is founded. CAPA advocates for state-wide improvements in the IHSS system.
4,700+ Consumers stop drastic cuts to IHSS by presenting poignant testimonies about the chaos these cuts would cause for them and their families before various commissions and committees in the state Legislature.
PA Consumer Peer Mentor Program (CPMP) is re-instituted to provide support services to San Franciscans with disabilities transitioning from institutional living to the community.
Laguna Honda Hospital Partnership.
PA collaborates with the Department of Aging & Adult Services (DAAS) and the IHSS Consortium to create the Training Academy for Personal Care Assistants (TAPCA), which later became Homebridge Training. The PA partners with Homebridge Training to develop trainings and workshops that enhance the skills of our Registry Providers. All Providers are required to participate in Homebridge training to join or remain active on the Registry.
Consumers and Providers attend the PA’s “IHSS: Into the Future/Advancing Disability Rights” conference to learn about the latest changes, including a proposed shift to a managed care services delivery model.
Kelly Dearman becomes the second Executive Director of the Public Authority.
The PA celebrates its 20th anniversary.
New Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) rules and regulations take effect; IHSS Providers now qualify for overtime pay, and other benefits (travel and wait-time pay, etc.).
The PA, DAAS, and Homebridge collaborate on symposium series addressing Consumer, Provider and Community Partner roles in the care continuum. A total of 500 people attend across all three session to learn more about the SF IHSS system.
The PA hosts the first annual IP Appreciation Celebration to honor all the work that IPs do to assist Consumers. Approximately 200 IPs attend, and the Mayor marks the day as “IP Appreciation Day”.
The Public Authority begins offering Livescan services to Providers who have completed the enrollment process. As an authorized Livescan vendor, the PA is able to offer this service at the lowest cost available.
After a soft opening in March, the Public Authority celebrated the grand opening of it's One-Stop Resource Center on May 23, 2018. The event was attended by several members of the community including IHSS Consumers, Providers, and Community Partners.
The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Community Benefit Grants Program awarded $15,000 to the Public Authority’s IP+ Mentorship Program to help expand services provided to Consumers. The goal is to improve the quality of life and community involvement of Consumers by connecting them to social non-medical resources.