Everyone has a sick family member to care for at some point – so it’s critical to have Family Leave Insurance or other paid leave so families can stay afloat while dealing with family illness.

I almost didn’t make it when I needed to care for my daughter recovering from serious surgery at the same time I was the caregiver of my elderly father with high medical needs. As a low-wage security officer, I was lucky to be able to take unpaid time off to care for my loved ones. But since we live paycheck to paycheck, we were in serious trouble.

After months with no income, I couldn’t pay rent, utilities and other basic bills. Thank goodness we weren’t evicted, but we could have been. The stress of caring for sick family members combined with economic worry was almost too much to bear. It took me months to catch up on bills and put us back on the path to a stable life.

I’m willing to pay $3/week into a Family Leave Insurance Fund to know I won’t face eviction if I have to take care of family in the future. Please watch this video to learn more about my situation and why the FAMLI Act and other family leave solutions are so important.