CHCA is one of the largest worker cooperatives in the United States. Employees take part in the company's decision-making processes and it provides comprehensive free training for care workers, focusing on unemployed and low-income women.
Mission and Purpose
The Bronx-based, worker-owned Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA) employs more than 2,200 staff, originally unemployed women or low-paid workers, and stands as one of the largest worker cooperative in the United States.
Origins and Development
Organizational Structure, Membership, and Funding
Eight employees are represented in the Board, thus, taking part directly into decision-making processes through their home care experiences. CHCA also employs ‘peer mentors’ and trains its supervisors to be coaches rather than disciplinarians.
Specializations, Methods and Tools
CHCA provides free trainings to hundreds of women trainees each year and guarantees secure employment. By doing this they counter an industry paradigm that regards direct-care staff as temporary, low paid and easily replaceable.
Major Projects and Events
Analysis and Lessons Learned
Publications
See Also
References
External Links
Notes
The first submission of this Participedia entry was adapted from an entry by the Institute of Development Studies as part of their research project 'Linking Participation and Economic Advancement’ licensed and reproduced under Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0): https://www.eldis.org/keyissues/mapping-participation-economic-advancement