Community Care Corps: Volunteer Programs Impact and Alignment with Federal National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers

The Community Care Corps program (C3), funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), is a national program that awards grant funding to individual organizations that implement innovative local models in which volunteers assist family caregivers, older adults, and adults with disabilities with nonmedical care to maintain their independence. The volunteer programs have a lasting impact not just on the families and individuals served, allowing them to maintain their independence and live with dignity in their home and community, but also on those who serve their community as volunteers through emotional satisfaction and exploration of potential career options.​ Altarum supports the grantees in data collection on an ongoing basis, works with them to build their own business acumen, and provides analysis and reporting for all grantees.

Enhancing the reach of these programs is extremely important in today’s world where more than 53 million caregivers support their family members, allowing them to remain in the community. The goals and vision for the project align with many federal priorities to support family caregivers within the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers (the Strategy). 

Program evaluations of C3, conducted by Altarum, suggest its benefits align with all five goals listed in the Strategy. Results show that further enhancing and expanding the role of C3, thereby increasing grantees' impact at the local level for family caregivers, can achieve additional outcomes and successes tied to each goal and overall advancement of support for family caregivers.

This issue brief, Community Care Corps (C3): Program Impact and Alignment with National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, details how C3 fits into each of the Strategy’s goals – to help ACL and its partners effectively message and advocate for this program. As the RAISE Family Caregiver Act requires federal actions to remain within the scope of existing programs, enhancing and strengthening this program is a crucial opportunity to further national efforts to support family caregivers and ensure they have access to the services and resources required to continue supporting individuals in need of services and supports.

Altarum offers deep expertise in addressing long-term services and supports (LTSS) challenges. Working with partners around the country, Altarum is developing tools to help states address direct care workforce shortage and leveraging quality improvement initiatives and hands-on trainings to transform nursing home culture. Learn more about our experience in long-term services and supports.