In 1994, MUA members living with domestic violence and workplace abuse raised the need for a new program to complement the organization’s existing initiatives. Members explained that while MUA had helped them recognize exploitation in their own lives, they still lacked much-needed economic opportunities that would enable them to leave abusive situations or help their families obtain greater economic security.

With this initial need in mind, MUA developed the Caring Hands Workers’ Association. Through Caring Hands, MUA members receive job training and placement as well as act collectively to help Latina immigrants achieve dignified and just employment. Caring Hands offers the following programs:

Comprehensive Job Training

Each year 15 to 25 women—all of whom are active participants in MUA’s other programs—graduate from the 80-hour, Spanish-language Caring Hands home healthcare providers’ training. In addition to this intensive training, Caring Hands offers monthly mini-training series on professional housecleaning and childcare and offers refresher home healthcare workshops to help training graduates remain competitive in their fields.

In preparing the annual training and monthly workshops, Caring Hands staff depends on both the peer training capacity of current Workers’ Association members and the expertise of outside presenters to deliver courses that are simultaneously technically challenging, motivating, and approachable for MUA members. Training presenters have included staff of the Employment Law Center, Kaiser Hospital, The Children’s Council, Mission Hiring Hall, Health at Home, Family Caregiver Alliance, and many other well-known and respected organizations.

Job Referrals

Upon completion of the 80-hour training course, graduates join the Caring Hands Workers’ Association. Women who are active in the Workers’ Association are eligible to receive job referrals. Caring Hands staff field calls from potential employers, help Workers’ Association members negotiate for adequate wages and healthy working conditions, and place them with new employment opportunities. Job referral support is crucial for Caring Hands Workers’ Association members, many of whom face significant language barriers that would prevent them from making this initial employer contact if unassisted. This collective approach ensures that Latina immigrants are able to break through the multiple barriers that could otherwise prevent their transition from training to actual employment.

Job Retention Support

Workers’ Association members attend monthly Caring Hands meetings. These meetings are designed as a confidential and supportive space for peer assistance and guidance in resolving work-related and personal problems. For more personalized one-on-one support, Caring Hands staff provides individual consultations ranging from referrals to housing, food, and health services; preparation of letters and other communication with employers; resume development, and employer-employee conflict resolution.

Personal Finance Training

In 2006, Caring Hands members began receiving personal finance training designed to help them budget, save, and plan for longer term financial stability. Many MUA participants do not have bank accounts, have little or no savings and lack access to information on financial planning. In this context, job trainings and placement may alleviate short-term financial constraints, but will rarely help low-income women move permanently out of poverty. The addition of financial planning trainings is another key step in helping women move beyond short-term employment and into greater economic stability.

Since its founding, over one hundred and fifty women have graduated from Caring Hands’ trainings. Forty women are active at any given time in the Caring Hands Workers’ Association—conducting outreach to potential employers, researching and proposing wage scales, practicing contract negotiation, supporting each other in addressing workplace problems, and leading campaigns to protect the rights of immigrant domestic workers. Women who participate in MUA and the Caring Hands project have an increased likelihood of escaping domestic violence and an increased level of participation in community improvement activities. As one Caring Hands’ graduate said, “Before I took the Caring Hands training, I was economically dependent on my husband. He controlled me by determining how much money I would have. He refused to give me money for the bus, so I couldn’t go out. After I took the training, Caring Hands helped me to find work and I began to earn my own money. Now, I am free.”

In addition to benefits experienced by individual women participating in the program, the broader community benefits from the Caring Hands Workers’ Association, which has become a well-known and respected source for professionally trained, culturally-appropriate home healthcare, childcare and housecleaning services. If you or someone you know is in need of quality in-home health care, childcare, or housecleaning services, please contact Carmen Denis at 415-621-8140x303

• Download a Caring Hands flier.