COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — Real families are struggling to make ends meet after nearly a year without Idaho’s ‘Parents as Caregivers’ program.
Damian Cartiglia is facing a tough choice as he cares for his 7-year-old autistic son Luca.
“He loves running up to people and smiling. And he’s a little ball of joy,” Cartiglia said about Luca.
Luca is autistic and non-verbal, so he doesn’t go to daycare like most kids his age. When Luca goes to school, he takes a life skills class with teachers who can support his needs. But when the school day ends, this specialized care is harder to find.
Damian looks after Luca himself, which means he can’t work a typical 9-to-5 job. When Luca is at school, Damian works as a job coach for people with disabilities.
“I can only make money when he’s in school. Which is a very limited amount of time. And then to find a job that works with those within those hours is also very rare,” Cartiglia said.
Under the ‘Parents as Caregivers’ program in Idaho, Damian could earn money for caring for Luca.
“I didn’t have any extra money, but it was enough to pay the bills and keep going,” Cartiglia said.
But about one year ago, funding for the program was eliminated.
He’s not alone in this struggle. A recent survey from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare found 70% of caregivers had to make sacrifices in their careers.
“I do Uber Eats, which is good because I can take him with me,” Cartiglia said.
But Damian says it’s not enough to make ends meet. This Tuesday, he received an eviction notice.
“I’m kind of stuck in a rut where I need to just come up with this rent and and get this paid or have nowhere to go and potentially lose my son,” Cartiglia said.
Some Idaho lawmakers tried to reinstate the paid family caregiver program this year but were not successful.
Damian is getting some support from a GoFundMe he started and is now considering crossing state lines. You can donate to the GoFundMe by clicking here.
“I think that if I moved to Spokane with the resources available there, I probably can make ends meet,” Cartiglia said.
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