Facing critical shortage, bipartisan legislation would hike wages for direct care workers

One in five direct care workers receive federal food assistance, and about a third of home health aides suffer from food insecurity, said James Myall, an economic policy analyst for the Maine Center for Economic Policy. Direct care workers are about three times as likely as other workers to be living in poverty as other Mainers.

Click here to read the full story, first published January 21, 2026 in Maine Morning Star.