FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Mary Maude Davis | (270) 993-6882 | MaryMaude.Davis@FINNPartners.com
Alexandria, Va. – Last week, Goodwin Living™, a faith-based, not-for-profit senior living and health care organization, joined congressional leaders, advocacy groups and other senior organizations to share significant concerns on the impact of the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals. Rob Liebreich, president and CEO of Goodwin Living, accompanied by Goodwin House Alexandria resident Irma Canan, expressed that removing these legal workers would expand the deficit of workers needed in senior living, leaving even more older adults without caregivers.
Hosted by the American Business Immigration Coalition (ABIC) and other partner organizations, including LeadingAge, the event served as a call to action for a discharge petition forcing a House vote on extending TPS before the Feb. 3 termination takes effect. If TPS expires, over 350,000 Haitian nationals will face deportation, including the healthcare workers who are essential to the U.S. senior care system.
“Nationally, TPS holders are people who have lived here for 5, 10, and even 15 years. They have raised American children. They have bought homes. They have built businesses. They have cared for our elderly, rebuilt our cities and kept our hospitals and nursing homes running,” Liebreich said. “They have done everything we ask of those who come to this country seeking safety and opportunity. We need 3.5 million more workers in our field, not 350,000 fewer workers.”
Goodwin Living is supported by a workforce representing 80 countries, with approximately 70 percent of its team members born outside of the country. Nationally, immigrants currently comprise 1 in 4 long-term care workers and over 20% of nursing home support roles. By 2050, the U.S. population aged 65+ will grow by 50%, yet the U.S. is currently facing a projected shortage of 3.5 million healthcare workers by 2030.
Canan moved into her first senior living community 17 years ago with her husband, Pat Canan. Since then, the U.S. senior population has grown from roughly 12 percent to 20 percent as Americans live longer, healthier lives. Having lived in four different communities, she emphasized the assistance, comfort, kindness and companionship caregivers give residents.
“Relationships between a patient and caregiver flower into a loving friendship which has its own value in healing,” Canan said. “Why would anyone want to break this mutually, meaningful bond? We are a nation of immigrants. We need each other. We help each other. This is a moment where we test our values. I hope our representatives and our government will do the right thing.”
“Nearly one-fifth of the Haitian community living in the United States works in the healthcare field. Without a reversal of this TPS termination on February 3, our country may face a healthcare national crisis,” Liebreich emphasized. “We will certainly face dramatic careflation, a significant rise in the cost of care in senior living and healthcare.”
Goodwin Living advocated alongside other critical voices at the press conference, including Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-Fla., Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., and representatives from the Haitian Bridge Alliance, National TPS Alliance, American Business Immigration Coalition, Service Employees International Union, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, National Immigration Law Center, National Domestic Workers Alliance and LeadingAge.
For more information about Goodwin Living, please visit Goodwinliving.org.
Additional resources on this immigration issue can be found at:
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About Goodwin Living™
Goodwin Living™ touches the lives of thousands of people every day through its range of senior living communities, specialized healthcare services, community partnerships and philanthropic endeavors. With a mission to support, honor and uplift the lives of others (specifically older adults and those who care for them), Goodwin Living leads the way in expanding the places and ways we can all thrive and find purpose as we age. Older adults will discover options that meet them where they want to be, and those options are managed and provided by team members who represent more than 65 countries. Goodwin Living has been a Washington Post Top Workplace for seven consecutive years and has been named the #3 Top Workplace for 2025. Get more information at GoodwinLiving.org or by following Goodwin Living on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
