Over the past few months, Venture has been proud to welcome legislators from the communities we serve into our programs to share with them the valuable work we do and discuss some challenges and concerns the human services industry is facing, especially workforce recruitment and retention.  Both independently as an agency and as a member of the Provider’s Council, Venture is advocating for direct care workers.  We support legislation that will offer student loan repayment options and fair pay for similar work.  We will also continue to advocate for affordable healthcare and higher wages.  Our employees are the lifeline of the work we do every day, and we believe in investing in their wellbeing and professional development.  Looking out for our workforce leads to better care for the individuals we support and creates a stronger community.

We discussed these issues and more with Senator Anne Gobi (D – Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex) when she visited our Community Day Program in Sturbridge;  Senator Ryan Fattman (R – Worcester and Norfolk) and Representative Kevin Kuros (R – 8^th Worcester) who both visited our Community Day Program in Uxbridge; Representative Natalie Higgins (D – 4^th Worcester)  and Senator Dean Tran (R – Worcester and Middlesex) when they visited our Community Day Program in Leominster; and Representative Jeffrey Roy (D – 10^th Norfolk) when he met with us at our new residential program in Franklin.  We would like to thank each of them for taking the time to hear our concerns and learn more about the vital work we do providing services to people in our community and providing jobs all over Massachusetts.

The Providers Council will be launching its new “Will You Care?” campaign at the 2018 Caring Force State House Rally on April 10^th.  For more information, visit The Caring Force.

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