My name is Amina Abdalla. I was born in a refugee camp in Kenya but grew up in Auburn WA. I received my Associate Degree from Green River College and attended Penn State University where I double majored in African Studies and Political Science. I come from a long line of providers. My mother has been a provider for my oldest sister who has developmental disability for over 10 years. Actually, a majority of the women in my family are either senior care providers or providers for patients with developmental disability. I understand the challenges and barriers providers in this industry experience. I’ve had to personally navigate through it as a child and currently as an adult for my mother and my developmentally disabled sister who speak little to no English. Experiencing and understanding the barriers adult care providers go through especially those operating and working in Adult Family Homes is why I joined the Adult Family Home Council.
Nothing is more important to me than advocating for providers that work hard, day and night, to provide the best care for our vulnerable adults. Prior to coming to Adult Family Home Council, I’ve worked on various federal, state and municipal campaigns. I strongly believe that it is crucial we support and elect candidates that are bold enough to make the changes we need in our government. Amid all of this, I volunteered and did advocacy work for community-based organizations such as the Somali Bantu Community and the Urban League. It wasn’t long after when the Somali Bantu Community decided to hire me as their Deputy Executive Director and the Urban League hired me as their Advocacy and Community Engagement Organizer. Outside of these organizations, I also served as the legislative director for a nonprofit organization in King County. I’m excited and determined to put all of my energy into advocating for Adult Family Home providers. My goal is to ensure that Adult Family Home providers are receiving fair compensation, health and welfare benefits, professional development and training, and so much more.
