Borja Alvarez de Toledo says the home care workers he employs "perform miracles," when they do the dressing, bathing and light housework that allows elderly adults, who are eligible for nursing home care, to continue to seek personal care services at home.

And yet, these workers are paid $13.50 an hour and are never eligible for benefits, said Alvarez de Toledo, CEO of Waypoint, a nonprofit agency that provides different social services throughout New Hampshire. The low wages and lack of benefits make it extremely difficult to find employees willing to provide this essential service.

Walter was 16 when he started working the overnight shift at a plastics factory in Central Massachusetts.
He had come from Guatemala on his own to join his father, desperate to escape a poor, violent country where two of his childhood friends were shot to death. From 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., Walter trimmed plastic with sharp knives and retrieved hot molds stuck inside machines, then went straight to Framingham High School, bleary eyed, often falling asleep in class. He later got a job at a massive commercial greenhouse, cleaning machines that planted and harvested produce, sometimes working until 5 a.m. In warm weather, he worked 50 hours a week — using his earnings to pay rent and help his family back home, as well as a 16-year-old sister who recently arrived here. Read more

All states have passed laws addressing language access, but only a limited number have passed or attempted to pass comprehensive legislation and designated funding for language access. Read more

The Biden Administration’s proposed rule would ban people from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they do not apply for asylum in another country first or do not make an appointment with a Customs and Border office through a mobile application. Read more

March marks Women’s History Month, and for African American women, the observance creates a bit of a conundrum, particularly on the heels of Black History Month. Read more

Ascentria Care Alliance, one of the largest human service nonprofits in New England, announces the addition of Christine Tappan as Chief of Strategy and External Relations.

In her role, Tappan will be a key member of the executive team and will play a large role in strategic planning and development. She will advance the strategic priorities for fundraising, communications, advocacy and marketing and is responsible for representing Ascentria to the media, stakeholders, funders, and government officials. Read more

Matthew Grochowski has been attending the Jewish Community Center Summer Camp since 2015, with the exception of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the traditional camp. Read more

SANBORNTON — Five Afghan men who work in housekeeping, laundry or landscaping at Steele Hill Resort have a name for Kathy van Engelen, the Laconia woman who helps them each week with shopping, banking, learning English and learning to drive. Read more