McLean County YWCA expands home care for veterans

Posted on November 10, 2017

By Eric Stock

BLOOMINGTON – The McLean County YWCA is launching a new program that enables it to provide home care services to veterans.

The YWCA has been designated as a preferred provider in which veterans can receive help with the tasks of family living at no cost to veterans who are eligible or through private pay.

“Everybody cares about their veterans, so this was really exciting for us to come across to be able to provide this little extra service that could be become free or no charge to those veterans and their surviving spouses,” Director of Marketing and Public Relations Christy Germanis said.

Germanis said the home services program will help fill the void for the agency after it canceled its state contract to provide home care services for low-income clients in August because it could no longer wait for the state to pay for it.

“With this type of program, we are going to be able to once again service those in need in our community and still be able to pay our staff and be able to pay our staff and be able to keep the doors open, so to speak,” Germanis said.

Qualified veterans and their spouse or surviving spouse may qualify for up to $25,525 in services per year.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year. It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city. Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University. We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk. Going to work every day for some people means…