Caregiving feeds my soul, but it pays so little in Tulare County that I’ve spent years fighting off homelessness.

For Tulare County IHSS provider Thomas Magana, his work as an IHSS caregiver is something that he draws strength from. Thomas’ view on the essential work he does each day is not merely another a way to earn a paycheck, but an act of service and dedication that feeds his soul.

“Caregiving is my calling. It’s the kind of work a person goes into knowing how difficult it can be. This profession requires both empathy and compassion for those in need. I dedicate my time as a caregiver and work with a smile that starts my day with an open heart.”

Why caregiving connects to Thomas.

Thomas has been a caregiver since 2014 — an entire decade of providing care, which Thomas looks back on with great fondness.

“I remember my parents would jokingly remind me that in their old age, I would be the one to take care of them. But the jokes stuck with me, became my connection to the love for caregiving. I love this profession, I started as a caregiver for several people, including a woman with severe gastrointestinal issues. The most meaningful experience was caring for my own father, who was diabetic and lost a foot due to the disease.”

Thomas was caring for his mother, a dementia patient, up until his housing situation grew unstable, and Thomas’ mom had to go live with his older brother. That was a hard time for Thomas. Like so many caregivers, his work is undervalued and underpaid, to the point where paying basic expenses, like rent, becomes a real hurdle to overcome. Part of the problem is the history of labor law in this country that intentionally left “domestic” and agricultural work out of the basic protections all other workers enjoy. Despite the fact that caregivers are needed now more than ever…that caregiving is essential work. The end result: caregivers are forced to push themselves beyond their limits and still can’t afford basic expenses, like food, healthcare and shelter.

It’s not easy work.

“The work requires skill sets that only human touch and empathy can bring. It comes naturally to me. It’s something I really love doing. When my parents told me that I’d end up being the one to take care of them — Bingo! They were right! I’ve been a caregiver for years since then, and I still love it.”

Although Thomas knows that it’s not easy work, his passion for long-term care goes beyond a weekly paycheck. He has committed his life to helping others who need quality essential care — even when other jobs that would be easy to get, like fast food, pay more, and help ensure stable housing.

“I think about it this way: when I get really old someday, or if I somehow got disabled, I’d want to be cared for by someone who actually cares. This is what I need Tulare County Board of Supervisors to think about when it’s their turn in life.”

Moments of struggles.

Thomas lost his father in 2023. In addition to the emotional loss, the passing of his father left Thomas without a care recipient. Recently, Thomas had to make the drastic decision to leave the job he loves temporarily and take a job as a yard work landscaper, forcing him out of his care profession to stay afloat until he was connected to a new recipient. Thomas didn’t want to leave. It was a decision he felt he had to make, if he was ever going to get back on his feet. Caregiving is Thomas’ calling, but like anyone else, he needs a place to rest his head. He needs shelter and warmth. Sadly, caregiving isn’t respected enough as a vocation to automatically guarantee basic human rights.

“The thought of leaving my caregiver profession was a heavy one I remember all to clearly. I knew that me leaving, at that time, meant one less provider to care for someone in need. I was able to find another recipient who was recovering from a bad case of torn ligaments and needed a 24-hour live-in provider — so I took the opportunity. I knew once my father passed, and my mother worsening from her Dementia disease and relocating, I was on the verge of homelessness. I was forced to couch surf for months.”

Thomas knows that being an IHSS care provider is more than just making meals, running errands, assistance with daily activities and housekeeping duties. Thomas also provides those human elements we often simply call tender loving care.

“I personally know other caregivers who are dealing with worse situations, but my situation still pushed me against the wall. I love what I do, but the need for livable wages, and adequate healthcare benefits for many IHSS providers, like me, is so important. During the pandemic, we got called heroes and all these other nice words, but the reality is, most caregivers are barely scraping by and living week to week, close to homelessness. A big part of why I’m in between houses right now when I’m not at my recipients house as a 24-hour live-in provider is because the Tulare County Supervisors are not providing essential care workers livable wages to live on. That needs to change.”

A good contract with the county is important to Thomas.

For Thomas, the issues right now are the current poverty wages and lack of healthcare benefits in Tulare County. Low wages have driven many providers to more competitive paying jobs as a short-term solution to survive in today’s economy.

Thomas sees the issue as systemic, not personal. He knows of other caregivers with loads of experience who often struggle like him for similar reasons. For people like Tulare’s Board of Supervisors, or the various other public officials who oversee the IHSS program, things like shelter and healthcare are a guarantee. They are protected by and insulated within a bubble of privilege that allows them a sense of surety that working people like Thomas don’t get. This is unsustainable and needs to change.

The power of caregiving.

Like most caregivers, Thomas is by nature a nurturing and compassionate person. In addition, Thomas has been an active fighter for the people he cares for by investing his time to march in Union-backed protest rallies to share his voice at hearings before Tulare’s Board of Supervisors. Caregivers are lovers, and caregivers are also care warriors. Thomas proudly counts himself among that army of providers when it’s a call to action.

“I’m really hoping we get a strong contract — so that I won’t fall through the cracks and remain in the shadows of the care industry like I did last time when my father passed.”

Tulare County IHSS Contract Campaign

That’s why Thomas and other Tulare IHSS care providers are speaking out and supporting their Union’s campaign to win the best possible contract for Homecare Workers in Tulare County, we need everyone to be involved and we need to hear from you about your priorities.

Thank you for your participation!