Supporting Caregivers, Strengthening D.C. Families

As someone who cares daily for my mother and helps raise my young niece, I understand firsthand the many demands and deep rewards of caregiving. In our city, about 74,000 unpaid family caregivers provide an estimated 69 million hours of care each year-valued at roughly $1.37 billion in unpaid labor. Caregivers in D.C. are parents, adult children, relatives, and neighbors who keep families strong and communities connected.

​

As your at-large councilmember, I will make sure D.C. is a city that honors and uplifts those who give care every day.

​

My commitments:

 

​1. Expand local support for family caregivers
I will partner with the D.C. Office on Aging and Community Living to increase respite care funding and create a “Caregiver Resource Hub,” a one-stop portal for information, support groups, benefits navigation, and peer-to-peer networks.

 

2. Champion workplace flexibility for caregivers
I will work with D.C. employers to adopt caregiver-friendly policies such as flexible scheduling, telework options, and paid family leave, aligned with the goals of the Assisting Caregivers Today Caucus.

 

3. Invest in the care economy and aging in place
I will support programs that train, retain, and fairly compensate home health aides and personal care assistants. I will also expand home and community-based services that allow seniors and people with disabilities to age in place safely, with dignity, and close to their loved ones.

 

4. Strengthen federal-local partnerships
I will advocate for full reauthorization of the Older Americans Act and ensure that D.C. receives its fair share of caregiver support, nutrition program funding, and aging-in-place initiatives.

 

Because when we lift up caregivers, we lift up the entire city.