Good to Give: Taking Care of Domestic Workers During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of millions of domestic workers in the United States. Because they work in the homes and workplaces of others, they face unique challenges as essential workers during this pandemic. As part of its Good to Give Initiative, GoodRx was excited to donate $5,000 this spring to the Coronavirus Care Fund, which was established by the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) to provide direct monetary support to domestic workers during the pandemic.

Domestic workers are skilled professionals who provide a wide range of services to people. They are nannies, house cleaners, home care workers, and more. Overall, the majority of almost 2.5 million domestic workers in the U.S. are women, most of whom are women of color and/or immigrants. 

Even before the pandemic, domestic workers have been some of our most undervalued workers, according to the NDWA. Many domestic workers lack workplace standards and do not have the benefit of labor laws apply to them, such as minimum wage, overtime pay, or protections against sexual harassment in the workplace. 

The NDWA was founded in 2007 to organize and fight for dignity and fairness for domestic workers in the U.S. Now, the organization includes over 250,000 domestic workers in all 50 states.

I am excited to announce the NDWA as a winner of the Good to Give program. I nominated NDWA because the organization supports some of the most vulnerable frontline workers of the COVID-19 outbreak. While I have the privilege of social distancing by working from home, domestic workers continue to put themselves and their families at risk by going to work. This is especially true for home care workers, who care for the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, a population most at-risk for contracting COVID-19. Others saw their incomes evaporate almost overnight.

During the pandemic, the NDWA set up the Coronavirus Care Fund, which has provided emergency assistance payments directly to domestic workers in need. The money goes to personal, family, and living expenses incurred as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Since the fund launched in March, the NDWA has approved 50,000 applications, providing almost $30 million in cash assistance to workers. 

However, the NDWA’s work extends beyond cash assistance. As it closes out the Care Fund in the final weeks of 2020, the NDWA continues to support domestic workers in other ways, including: 

• COVID-19 resources to help members stay safe and access emotional support

• On-the-ground organizing via its 70+ local chapters and affiliates

• Advocating for domestic worker inclusion in government relief packages

• Products like Alia that help workers access long-term benefits

• Visionary directives like the We Dream in Black Unbossed agenda

Here at GoodRx, we believe we need to take care of those who provide care. The NDWA has exemplified that belief in its incredibly important work. Please be sure to follow and support the NDWA’s work by visiting its website here.

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Good to Give is our employee-driven charity program, where we support nonprofit organizations and contribute to their efforts through donations. To select groups to support throughout the year, we’re asking our employees to nominate nonprofits and causes important to them before taking a company-wide vote on recipients each quarter. Read more about the program and other recipients here.