Chelsea, Massachusetts – The Care Industry During COVID-19

TOBI ARIYO, KEVIN CHEN, SANJANA SINGH, LEANNA KATZ, SABRINA ZHANG, and REBECCA HORWITZ-WILLIS (Harvard University)

ROBIN WOOLFORD (Northeastern University) 

ORLANDO OCHOA (University of Texas at Austin)

2023 UPDATE: Research team members Leanna Katz and Rebecca Horwitz-Willis published an article in the Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law and Policy, “The Interdependence of Family, State, and Market: Childcare in the Shifting Landscape of the COVID-19 Pandemic,” expanding upon the team’s summer 2020 research and findings, detailed below. Read the article here.

July 2020

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has not been equally felt across Massachusetts. In Chelsea, the infection rate was six times the state average. On the surface, this high infection rate appears to be a result of the high number of “essential” workers; nearly 80 percent of workers in Chelsea fall into this category.

Our research focused on “essential” care workers in Chelsea. Care work takes place both in the context of remunerated and regulated employment (for example child care workers, personal and home care aides), as well as unpaid care in the home and community (including child care, cooking, cleaning and eldercare). Underlying our research, we imagined a case study of a female-identifying undocumented Latinx individual who lives in Chelsea with her children and works in Boston. We considered what historical, legal, and social forces have made her both vulnerable and resilient amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on our research and interviews with members of the community, we focused on three key forces: 1) limited access to care for care workers and their families, including food insecurity, 2) limited income from both employment and welfare, and 3) environmental injustice, including housing insecurity.

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On this page:

Key Policy Insights

Annotated Bibliography

Key Policy Insights

Highlighting Local Organizations

Local grassroots organizations seem well-positioned to deliver social assistance to Chelsea residents because they are familiar with the community’s needs and have the community’s trust.

• • What are the long-term consequences of social assistance provided by grassroots organizations instead of government?
  • How do we build links between social service organizations and the government so that organizations get adequate and stable funding and support?
  • How best to support housing advocacy including extending eviction moratoriums?
    • For example, ally with City Life Vida Urbana, coordinate with the Chelsea Collaborative, Harvard Tenant Advocacy Project, and HLAB on RAFT applications.
  • How to support efforts led by the Chelsea Collaborative and GreenRoots?
    • For example, support GreenRoots’ initiative to establish land trust in Chelsea;
    • Lobbying for allocation of COVID-relief funding based on need to help hardest hit communities.
  • Could we ally with the Chelsea community in political discussions about the 111 bus?
    • The 111 bus often suffers delays that can leave Chelsea residents 1.5 – 3 hours late for work. These delays result in part from the Tobin Bridge having been built with the needs of the City of Boston but not the City of Chelsea in mind.

The Role of Environmental Factors

Environmental factors created pre-existing health conditions and potentially link to current COVID infections.

• • What levers can strengthen environment regulation and give Chelsea residents a voice in the decisions that impact their environments?

Unique Vulnerabilities of Undocumented Workers

Undocumented workers are excluded from an array of benefits such as unemployment insurance because they lack work authorization.

• • What alternatives to unemployment insurance could provide support to undocumented individuals if they lose or must leave their jobs?
  • Since undocumented residents are typically not eligible for federal aid, we need deeper analysis of the split between federal, state, and local subsidized housing in Chelsea.
  • What are the effects of the fact that undocumented individuals are less likely to fill out the census?  How much does this underrepresent measures of, for example, COVID-19 infections and poverty rates?
  • What legal and policy tools and processes can diminish fear that keeps undocumented individuals from accessing government services (e.g. law to close the “SNAP gap”)?

Existing Legislation  

In our research we learned about several bills that could benefit Chelsea residents:

• • Bill to prevent wage theft [Bill S1066].
  • Bill that establishes presumption of workplace exposure to COVID-19 [2602, H4611, HB4739].
  • Bill to provide drivers’ licenses to undocumented people – Work and Family Mobility Act [Bill S2061].
  • Legislation to close the “SNAP gap”: Helping people eligible for SNAP but who do not apply; bill to create common applications for public services [612].
  • Breakfast After the Bell for all schools with high poverty rates to offer students breakfast after the school bell rings [S2473 and H4218].
  • Bill to address environmental justice would require additional outreach to EJ communities when projects are proposed and allocate resources funded by polluters [House 8624, S454, S453].
  • Bill extending eviction and foreclosure moratorium to 12 months after governor rescinds emergency declaration [H4878, S2831].
  • The Safe Communities Act would protect the civil rights and safety of all MA residents (i.e. as a sanctuary state) [H3573, S1401].

 Legal and Policy Tools

• • What legal and policy tools can address the need for childcare?
    • Including safe opening of schools; prioritizing financial support for daycares in Chelsea, especially for children of essential workers; supports for informal community networks of care, including temporary care provided by relatives and neighbors; expand head start and public pre-school offerings in Chelsea; change voucher application process from an “opt-in” program to an “opt out” program; ensure “market rate” analysis for vouchers is completed annually.
  • What tools have other cities used to control rents and lessen the impact of gentrification? Would zoning law revisions be helpful? How can landlords be held accountable for maintaining safety and accessibility regulations?
  • What legal and policy tools and processes can diminish fear that keeps undocumented individuals from accessing government services (e.g. law to close the “SNAP gap”)?
  • Reinstate rent control laws
  • Support housing advocacy including extending eviction moratorium, ally with City Life Vida Urbana
    • Consider coordinating with Harvard Tenant Advocacy Project/ HLAB

Annotated Bibliography

Sections

Background on Chelsea

Personal and Family Care

Housing

Environment

Employment & Social Services

Additional Sources

Background on Chelsea

Clark, Margaret H. Chelsea in the 20th Century. Arcadia Publishing, 2004.

• This book provides an overview of Chelsea’s history and growth during the 20th century. This source was important in developing the historical context for Chelsea.

Government of Massachusetts. “COVID-19 Essential Services.” Accessed September 17^th 2020.

• Provides the Massachusetts government’s definition of essential services, which is key to this project’s focus on essential care workers. The definition of essential services includes healthcare providers and caregivers (as well as workers in other sectors such as food and energy, agriculture, infrastructure, etc.)

Trott, Robert W. “Massachusetts Governor Approves Receivership for City of Chelsea.” Associated Press, September 12, 1991.

• Outlines the circumstances that resulted in Chelsea entering receivership status after many years of hardship and mismanagement. The history of Chelsea and how it came to be a city, is incredibly relevant for contextualizing the problems it currently faces.

Daniel, Seth. “Receivership Ends for CHA.” Chelsea Record, March 16, 2012.

• Outlines circumstances that resulted in the Chelsea Housing Authority entering receivership for four months during 2012. The history of Chelsea and how it came to be a city, is incredibly relevant for contextualizing the problems it currently faces.

Personal and Family Care

Daniel, Seth. “New Brief.” Chelsea Record,  May 14, 2020. 

• Includes information about available social services offered to Chelsea residents during the pandemic. This article was important in order to understand what programs were being made available to Chelsea residents in light of the pandemic and to see what gaps were still left to be filled.

Chelsea Public Schools. “Emergency Food Programs.”  Accessed September 17th, 2020. 

• Provides information for families and the public regarding school lunch provision during COVID-19 closures. This article was important in order to understand what programs were being made available to Chelsea residents in light of the pandemic and to see what gaps were still left to be filled.

Fortuny, Karina and Ajay Chaundry. “Issue Brief: Overview of Immigrants Eligibility for SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, and CHIP.” Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. March 2012. 

• This policy brief, prepared by the Urban Institute, maps, describes, and synthesizes the legal and policy contexts that govern and affect immigrant access to health and human services at federal state levels. This article was important for framing the lens for which we wanted to investigate Chelsea and its vulnerabilities.

Frye, Jocelyn. On the Frontlines at Work and at Home: The Disproportionate Economic Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Women of Color. Center for American Progress, April 23, 2020.

• This report analyzes the ways in which women of color, who often work in frontline care work, are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 in the workplace and with home responsibilities. Since a high percentage of Chelsea residents are care workers, a field of work primarily employed by women, this article helped contextualize the intersectional barriers that Chelsea care workers might face.

Hartmann, Heidi, Jeffrey Hayes, Rebecca Huber, Kelly Haase, and Jooyeoun Suh. The Shifting Supply and Demand of Care Work: The Growing Role of People of Color and Immigrants. Institute for Women’s Policy Research, August 2020. 

• This report analyzes the growth of the care industry since the early 2000s and its accompanied demographic shifts.. Since a high percentage of Chelsea residents are care workers, a field of work primarily employed by women, this article helped contextualize the intersectional barriers that Chelsea care workers might face.

Lagalesse, Erica. “Care Work, Capitalism, and the Labour of Love.” The Sociological Review, April 2019. 

• This article considers the relationship between capitalism, neoliberalism, and the devaluation of care work in Western industrialized countries. This article was useful in contextualizing racial capitalism, a framework that generally encapsulates low-income work in America.

Child Care Aware of America. “Mapping the Gap in Massachusetts.” Last modified February, 2018.

• Provides information about available child care facilities, including family based daycares, on a city-by-city basis. Includes details regarding the hours facilities are open, as well as whether they accept subsidy payments. With a significant amount of Chelsea residents having families where both parents need to work to sustain their families, it was important to understand which, if any, resources are available to Chelsea residents for childcare.

Department of Early Education and Care. “Massachusetts 606.CMR 10.00: Subsidized Child Care.” Accessed October 5, 2020.

• State regulations outlining the guidelines and requirements for subsidized child care. With a significant amount of Chelsea residents having families where both parents need to work to sustain their families, it was important to understand which, if any, resources are available to Chelsea residents for childcare.

Government of Massachusetts. “Massachusetts Emergency COVID-19 Child Care.” EEC Coronavirus Update. Accessed September 17, 2020.

• This site has a number of links to the various guidelines and regulations put forth by the state with regards to emergency care. This article was important in order to understand what programs were being made available to Chelsea residents in light of the pandemic and to see what gaps were still left to be filled.

Food Bank Coalition of Massachusetts.“Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program Agencies by City/Town.” Updated through July, 2017.

• List of food pantries available throughout the state. These pantries receive food from one of 4 state food banks and are open to all people, regardless of immigration status. This article was important in order to understand what programs were being made available to Chelsea residents in light of the pandemic and to see what gaps were still left to be filled.

Matthews, Hannah. Immigrant Eligibility for Federal Childcare and Early Education Programs. Center for Law and Social Policy. April, 2007. 

• Provides an overview of immigrant eligibility for federal child care laws, including PRWORA, CCDBG, and TANF Block Grants. This was an important resource in understanding how immigration status might complicate access to social service programs and how this might create another vulnerability for Chelsea residents specifically.

USDA Food and Nutritional Services. “TEFAP Fact Sheet.” Last modified January 6, 2020.

• Describes the Federal Emergency Food Assistance Program. This was an important resource in understanding how immigration status might complicate access to social service programs and how this might create another vulnerability for Chelsea residents specifically.

Shamir, Hila. “What’s the Border Got to Do With It? How Immigration Regimes Affect Filial Care Provision – A Comparative Analysis.” Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law 19, no. 2 (2011): 602-3. 

• This article compares migratory care work regimes in the United States, Israel and Australia and provides a definition of care work, which we adapted. Given the high percentage of immigrant workers in Chelsea this article was important in contextualizing the challenges faced by immigrant care workers in Chelsea.

Shamir, Hila. “Between Home and Work: Assessing the Distributive Effects of Employment Law in Markets of Care.” Berkeley Journal of Employment and Labor Law 30, no. 2 (2009): 404-60.

• This article explains the distributional analysis framework, including stratification, commodification, familalization and intra-household division of labor (see esp pages 434-444). Given how most Chelsea residents must also address informal care needs that are not met by the government or other social programs, this article was very relevant.

Housing 

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. “Immigrants and Housing.” In Legal Tactics: Finding Public and Subsidized Housing. Advocacy Guide, 2015. 

• The advocacy guide outlines what housing assistance is available to immigrants, how to apply, and how to address common issues arising with subsidized tenancy. Chelsea has a strong immigrant community and this guide explains the intricacies of obtaining housing as an immigrant; since housing affects the ability to quarantine, this source provides important information on immigrant-specific housing.

Ambrosino, Thomas G. City of Chelsea Comprehensive Housing Analysis and Strategic Plan. Chelsea: City of Chelsea, November 15, 2017. 

• This plan discusses the current (2017) state of housing in Chelsea as well as delineates strategies and concrete plans for improval. Overcrowding due to a lack of affordable housing leaves residents without a place to quarantine in case of contracting the COVID-19 pandemic; thus, understanding the housing infrastructure is necessary to understand how Chelsea became a hotspot.

Environment

Padmanabhan, Anahita, Jillian Gearin, Taylor Carlington and Stayshia Cody. “Chelsea’s Asthma Problem.” #Emersondataviz. Last modified December 2017. 

• This site compiles information on the elevated prevalence of asthma in Chelsea, environmental explanations, and a data-driven comparison with neighboring areas. Environmental justice was a crucial part of our analysis as pollutants have been linked to higher COVID-19 death rates. This source provided a detailed look at Chelsea’s environment and affected health.

Government of Massachusetts. “Press Release: AG Healey Brief: Environmental Pollution Contributes to Disparate Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Communities of Color.” Mass.gov, May 12, 2020. 

• This article reports on AG Healey’s brief which discusses the contributions of the environment in the varying impacts of COVID-19 and suggests policy interventions to remedy these environmental injustices. Chelsea is a Community of Color and thus, this brief indicates that the elevated levels of pollution were among the legal drivers that made Chelsea a COVID-19 hotspot.

Employment and Social Services

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019 – 31-1120 Home Health and Personal Care Aides.” Occupational Employment Statistics. Last modified July 6, 2020.

• This site provides statistics on wages and employment of home health and personal care aides. Care workers were the focal point of our analysis and this source provided valuable information on that career.

SEIU.“Massachusetts home care workers, Gov. Baker celebrate new standard-setting contract.” Accessed September 17, 2020. 

• This article highlights some differences between unionized and non-unionized home care workers. Our analysis focuses on care workers and their unique challenges and this source detailed unique qualities of care work with regards to unions.

Lahoud, Raymond G. “Do the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act Apply to Immigrant Employees?” National Law Review 10, no. 114 (April 23, 2020). 

• This article describes the application of COVID legislation to immigrant workers. Due to Chelsea’s strong immigrant population, understanding the benefits available to immigrant workers is imperative to understanding the impact of COVID.

Edwards_, Lydia. “Employment Information for Undocumented Workers.” Mass Legal Help, January 2019.

• This article provides information about employment rights for undocumented workers.

OSHA. Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19, U.S. Department of Labor. March 2020.

• This OSHA publication provides guidelines for workplaces during the pandemic. This article provides some critiques of the guidelines. Understanding the workplace guidelines is imperative to understanding how COVID spreads in workplaces and among essential workers (⅘ workers in Chelsea are essential).

Harris, Deborah. “Can you get TAFDC just for your children if you are a non-citizen?” Mass Legal Help, December 2017. 

• This article describes eligibility for welfare benefits for non-citizens and their children. Eligibility for welfare benefits before the COVID pandemic can contribute to regional hotspots if many workers lack a social security net.

Harris_, Deborah. “What if you are not a citizen?” Mass Legal Help. December, 2019.

• This source describes the rights of non-citizens with regards to accessing public services. Chelsea has a high proportion of non-citizens and this source elucidated this population’s access to social services.

Smith, Rebecca. “Immigrant Workers’ Eligibility for Unemployment Insurance.” National Employment Law Project. March 31, 2020.

• This article summarizes the exclusion of immigrant workers from unemployment insurance. Chelsea has a high population of immigrant workers.

Nakaishi, Lindsay, Helen Moss, Marc Weinstein, Nancy Perrin, Linda Rose, W Kent Anger, Ginger C Hanson, Mervyn Christian and Nancy Glass. “Exploring workplace violence among home care workers in a consumer-driven home health care program.” Workplace Health and Safety 61, no. 10 (2013): 441-50.

• This study reports on the high incidence of physical violence, psychological abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual violence for in-home health care programs in consumer-driven home care models based on studying Oregon. This source provided key information of the unique workplace challenges that home care workers face.

Additional Sources

Several pages from the Mass.gov website provided information about minimum wage laws, overtime pay, COVID-specific programs, and benefits available to citizens and non-citizens, including:

• Commonwealth of Massachussetts. “Filing for unemployment benefits as a non-U.S. citizen.” Mass.gov, accessed October 5, 2020.

• Commonwealth of Massachussetts. “COVID-19 Resources Available to Immigrants and Refugees.” Mass,gov, accessed October 5, 2020.