Carina Care Matching Platform

Solution Pitch

The Problem

Carina is working to solve the problem of home and child care workers earning low total income, partially due to challenges in filling openings. This leads to high turnover rates and worker shortages that make it difficult for seniors, people with disabilities, and parents to find care in their communities.

The Solution

Carina offers an easy-to-use care matching platform. On the Carina Care Matching Platform, individuals and families can find qualified care providers near them who have access to good wages (or reimbursements) and have openings. Carina is not the care provider itself; instead, it uses technology to make the care matching process more effective, efficient, and equitable by providing good information and connections to both sides of the marketplace for good jobs and quality care. Carina works in partnership with labor unions and local governments. While Carina works to match individuals, its systemic impact is through these partnerships with organizations that can 1) advocate for care providers and their clients and/or 2) fund and operate care delivery programs and/or 3) create policies that will support care providers to access good jobs and for care seekers to access quality care.

Stats

• There are 32,000 users (care seekers and care providers) of the service.

• 20,000 people have been part of the 10,000 care matches which have occurred via the platform.

Market Opportunity

Carina targets the home care and child care worker markets. There are 2.4 million home care workers in the U.S., and home care is projected to be the fastest-growing occupation. Seniors and persons with disabilities, especially those who qualify for Medicaid. Nation wide, 17 million people living in the community require such services.

Organization Highlights

Carina works with its primary operational partners in the following ways: funding for services, joint marketing and outreach, analytics and evaluation, and learning and advocacy. Partners include:

• Service Employees International Union Local 775

• Washington State Department of Social and Human Services

• King County Department of Community and Human Services

• Consumer Direct of Washington

• Service Employees International Union Local 99

• Service Employees International Union Local 521

• New York Department of Health

• Service Employees International Union HCII

• United Domestic Workers of America, UDW/AFSCME Local 3930

• CSEA SEIU Local 2001

• Service Employees International Union Local 503

• Carewell SEIU 503

• Oregon Home Care Commission

Partnership Goals

Carina Care Matching Platform seeks:

• Expertise on grant applications

• Innovation funding to do more with data to support system change, create infrastructure for scaling, and invest in innovative approaches to creating network effects for care providers and seekers on the platform.