31 min

Caregiving In Texas - Susie small change: Money Stories from the Neighborhood

    • Personal Journals

Susie Rivera lives in a mobile home with her wife in New Braunfels, Texas, which lies between San Antonio and Austin. She has been a professional caregiver since 1986. She now earns $15 an hour and puts in 72 hours a week. Rivera works through eQuality Coop, the only home care worker-owned and worker-controlled cooperative in Texas. Throughout our conversation, it was clear that Rivera is proud of her work. Caregiving to her is a "calling," not a job. “It's just it's, it's, it's a calling, it's so rewarding to get in there and, and, you know, I've always said this whenever I go and take care of somebody, I said the cavalry's here,” she says. “Don't worry, we'll take care of you.”

Susie Rivera lives in a mobile home with her wife in New Braunfels, Texas, which lies between San Antonio and Austin. She has been a professional caregiver since 1986. She now earns $15 an hour and puts in 72 hours a week. Rivera works through eQuality Coop, the only home care worker-owned and worker-controlled cooperative in Texas. Throughout our conversation, it was clear that Rivera is proud of her work. Caregiving to her is a "calling," not a job. “It's just it's, it's, it's a calling, it's so rewarding to get in there and, and, you know, I've always said this whenever I go and take care of somebody, I said the cavalry's here,” she says. “Don't worry, we'll take care of you.”

31 min

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