Northeast Philadelphia Home Care Resources: A Neighborhood Guide

Northeast Philadelphia is one of the largest and most diverse sections of the city,
stretching from Frankford and Kensington up through Mayfair, Fox Chase, Somerton,
and Bustleton. It’s also home to a significant population of older adults and
multigenerational families — many of whom are already providing daily care for aging
parents or relatives without knowing that Medicaid programs can pay them for it.

This guide is for Northeast Philly families specifically.

The Programs That Apply to Your Family

Northeast Philadelphia is part of the CHC Southeast Zone, so every Medicaid home care
program available in the city applies in the Northeast: Community HealthChoices, the
OBRA Waiver, the Attendant Care Waiver, and Participant-Directed Services through the
Agency with Choice model. A family member can be hired and paid as a caregiver
through the same process as any other Philadelphia family.

What differs in the Northeast is the community texture. The neighborhoods running
from Mayfair through Somerton have large Eastern European, Asian, and Latino
immigrant communities where multigenerational living is common and cultural
preferences strongly favor family-provided care over agency-based care. In our
experience at CareChoice, families in these communities are among the most natural fits
for Participant-Directed Services — they’re already providing the care. They just need
the system to recognize and compensate it.

Local Resources in the Northeast

Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) serves the entire city, including the
Northeast. Their helpline at (215) 765-9040 is the starting point for assessments,
referrals, and information about home care programs. PCA also has satellite locations
and partners with senior centers throughout the Northeast.

Northeast Philadelphia senior centers provide social programming, meals, and
information referrals. Centers in Bustleton, Somerton, and the Greater Northeast often
host information sessions on aging services — these are good places to learn about
programs and connect with other families navigating the same challenges.
Community health centers in Frankford, Kensington, and along the Roosevelt
Boulevard corridor serve many Medicaid-enrolled individuals and can help with referrals
to PCA and home care programs.

Language-accessible services. PCA and the MCOs are legally required to provide
interpreter services. If your family’s primary language is Russian, Ukrainian, Chinese,
Vietnamese, Spanish, or any other language, request an interpreter for your assessment
and service coordination meetings. In our experience, families who use interpreter
services during the assessment get more accurate results — nothing gets lost in
translation when the assessor fully understands the care needs being described.

What We See in Northeast Philly

Our community engagement coordinator Jailah Johnson works across Philadelphia
neighborhoods and sees distinct patterns in the Northeast. Families in Mayfair and
Holmesburg tend to have strong extended family networks — an aunt, a cousin, a
granddaughter — where multiple family members share caregiving. PDS allows these
families to designate one primary paid caregiver while the broader family continues their
informal support. The paid caregiver doesn’t replace the family network; they anchor it
with a formal structure and a paycheck.

In Bustleton and Somerton, we see a high number of immigrant families where an adult
child has taken on primary care for an aging parent — often while working another job.
These families are ideal candidates for paid family caregiving because the financial relief
of a caregiver paycheck can be the difference between the adult child managing both
responsibilities and having to choose between their job and their parent’s care.

In Frankford and Kensington — areas with higher Medicaid enrollment and greater
economic pressure — the need is acute and the awareness of programs is surprisingly
low. Families in these neighborhoods are often providing intensive daily care without
knowing that compensation is available.

Getting Started from the Northeast

The process is the same citywide. Confirm Medicaid eligibility through COMPASS. Enroll
in Community HealthChoices. Get a functional assessment through PCA or the MCO.
Request PDS during care planning. Complete Agency with Choice enrollment for the
family caregiver. Start providing care and receiving a biweekly paycheck.
CareChoice serves families across the entire Northeast — from Frankford to Fox Chase
to Far Northeast. If you’ve been providing care for a loved one in your neighborhood and
want to find out whether your family qualifies, we’re one call away.

Contact CareChoice → Philadelphia team

Written by Jailah Johnson, Community Engagement Coordinator — Philadelphia |
CareChoice Jailah works on the ground across Philadelphia neighborhoods connecting
families with paid caregiving resources.

Related: Get Paid to Care for Family in PA → | Community HealthChoices in Philadelphia → |
Immigrant Families & Medicaid Home Care →