In the 2010 legislative session, the State’s financial deficit cast a shadow on the future of the Volunteer Chore Services program.  The Washington State Catholic Conference (WSCC) and advocates across the State worked diligently to raise awareness of the need to ensure that low-income older adults and disabled persons remain in their homes for as long as safely possible.  Almost 9,000 volunteers statewide provide necessary services to help eligible adults remain independent.

Even though many social services programs were cut in order to balance the State budget, the Volunteer Chore Services program survived the 2010 legislative session intact.  While continuing to provide excellent care to homebound seniors and disabled persons, Volunteer Chore Services was also authorized to expand to serve a greater number of people.  In particular, the program will focus on aiding military veterans and people who are homeless.  The name of the program was changed to Volunteer Services to reflect this new reality.