January 29th, 2013 – Developmental Disabilities Association Executive Director Alanna Hendren will speak to striking community living workers – including her staff – at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 30 outside DDA’s head office at #100-3851 Shell Road, Richmond.
“We’ve been waiting too long for the government to take the desperately low pay in the community social services sector seriously and increase wages for the lowest paid workers in the public sector”, says Hendren. “The starting rate for a residential care or community support worker was $16.83 per hour in 2002 and it is $15.54/hour today. The Developmental Disabilities Association is not the only employer to experience high staff turnover and diminishing capacity because the pay we offer is too low to keep some of our best employees, who move on to higher paying jobs in Health, Education or the private sector. We are worried about the future of the people we support and our employees, who have lost well over $100 million in total funding over the past decade”.
Hendren will be available to speak to the media afterwards.
About the Developmental Disabilities Association
The Developmental Disabilities Association has provided services to infants, children, adults and seniors with disabilities in Vancouver and Richmond for over 60 years. Services are offered in over 50 community locations and are provided by over 700 employees with a minimum of a two-year college certificate or Bachelor’s degree in social sciences. The associated Developmental Disabilities Trust operates a clothing pick-up business, which subsidizes programs left unfunded by government and the Developmental Disabilities Foundation raises funds through donations and events to further ensure the Association’s financial viability.
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For more information: Tanya Cheung Communications & Marketing Manager Email: tcheung@develop.bc.ca T: 604-233-5407 / C: 604-763-3808
