By Shannin Prather
April 2019 | 2019 Spring Newsletter
Public Authority Services by Sourcewise serves consumers and independent providers (IPs) of the In- Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program. The Public Authority Registry assists IHSS consumers in locating pre-screened, eligible IPs who closely meet the consumer’s needs.
Nearly 1,100 IHSS consumers in Santa Clara County are actively using the Registry, and roughly 400 independent providers are on the Registry’s list. Using a database to create a customized list for each IHSS consumer, Registry Specialists are able to provide a list of names, or ‘referrals,’ to IHSS consumers who need to hire an IP. The database filters IPs based on the consumer’s needs, including:
- Availability to work for more consumers
- Availability during the consumer’s preferred work schedule
- Ability to commute to the consumer’s home
- Willingness to perform the authorized tasks which are needed by the consumer
- Willingness to work within consumer’s home environment (smoking/non-smoking, pets, etc.)
With these filters in place, the list of 400 IP names drastically drops to a smaller pool of 10–20 available independent providers. At times, the pool can drop even more and result in no available IPs.
Certain communities within Santa Clara County have a small number of available IPs, including: Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountain View, Gilroy, and Morgan Hill. As a larger number of IPs live in central and east San Jose, IPs may not be willing to commute to these more distant locations.
Though the decision of who to hire belongs to the consumer, the Public Authority Registry is available to help with the hiring process. To learn if IPs are available to work for you, contact the Registry: (408) 350-3251.