Courage Homecare is rooted in a vision to transform the industry through a unique model as a worker-owned cooperative. We believe in cultivating personalized care in a just way that promotes dignity, respect, and good quality of life for both those receiving support and our worker-owners.
Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California
Pilipino Workers Center of Southern California is a nonprofit serving and organizing the low-wage Pilipino immigrant community in Los Angeles. Aquilina has been a leader in the growing domestic worker movement in California and nationally through advocacy, enforcement, workforce development and cooperative strategies. Aquilina is serving as the current President of the Board of Directors of the National Domestic Workers Alliance. She was the recipient of the 2018 Frederick Douglass 200 Abolitionist award. She received her BA in Asian American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The establishment of Courage Homecare is deeply rooted in advocating for workers’ rights, which has resulted in achievements within the community. Many of its members are pioneers in local and state policies such as the passage of CA Domestic Worker Bill of Rights in 2013. Along this advocacy, the creation of a domestic worker and employer outreach program, The Domestic Workers and Employer Outreach Program was founded. Currently, one of our worker-owners, Teresita Sattar serves as a Board Member at the Democracy At Work Institute (DAWI), advancing cooperative development. While, our workers-owners are members of National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA). Through our allegiance with Pilipino Workers’ Center, we are also a part of the Care Committee in Caring Across Generations. All of these organizations have impactfully shifted the narrative about the homecare industry.
The prevalent inequalities in the homecare industry ignited the intersection of Pilipino Workers Center (PWC) in developing Courage Homecare. In 2014, amidst the advocacy for workers’ rights, PWC envisioned a way the homecare industry can be transformed. Reimagining an equitable workforce, a worker-owned cooperative was established, Courage Homecare. A model that allows its workers to own their work while providing valuable long-term support as a vital part of the community.