Home Care in North Philadelphia: What Families Need to Know

North Philadelphia — from Temple University’s campus through Hunting Park, Nicetown, and up into Logan and Olney — is home to some of the city’s most dedicated family caregivers. Daughters caring for mothers. Grandchildren helping grandparents. Extended families stretching across rowhomes to keep their loved ones at home and out of facilities. What most of these families don’t know is that Pennsylvania’s Medicaid programs can pay them for the care they’re already providing.

The Programs That Serve North Philly

Every Medicaid home care program available citywide applies in North Philadelphia. Community HealthChoices funds personal care, homemaker services, respite, and more through three MCOs in the Southeast Zone.  Participant-Directed Services lets your loved one choose a family member as their caregiver. And the Agency with Choice model puts that family member on payroll at $13.50 to $18.00 per hour.

What We See in North Philly

In our experience at CareChoice, North Philadelphia families are among the strongest candidates for Participant-Directed Services — because the family caregiving is already happening. The work is already being done. What’s missing is the paycheck.

The neighborhoods along Broad Street and Germantown Avenue have high Medicaid enrollment, which means the eligibility barrier is often already cleared. In many cases, the loved one is already on Medical Assistance — the family just didn’t know that home care services were available through that coverage.

Language access matters here. North Philadelphia’s communities include large Spanish-speaking, Vietnamese, and Cambodian populations.  PCA and the MCOs are legally required to provide interpreter services — request them for assessments and care planning meetings. In our experience, families who use interpreters during the functional assessment get more accurate results because nothing gets lost in translation.

Local Resources

PCA at (215) 765-9040 serves the entire city. Community health centers along North Broad Street and Germantown Avenue serve many Medicaid-enrolled North Philly residents and can provide referrals.  Senior centers in Hunting Park, Logan, and Olney host information sessions on aging services.

Getting Started

Check Medicaid eligibility→ connect with PCA→ enroll in CHC→ request a functional assessment→ request PDS→ get your family caregiver onboarded and paid.

CareChoice serves families across every North Philadelphia neighborhood. If you’ve been providing care and want to find out whether your family qualifies for paid caregiving, we’re one call away.

Contact CareChoice →Philadelphia team

Written by Jailah Johnson, Community Engagement Coordinator — Philadelphia | CareChoice