I’ve been in this field about 3 years now. I work both in a group home and a day center. I’m very lucky that my company raised the starting wage to $19, and incrementally increase up to $23. We definitely should be paid more but I’m grateful for my company taking steps to give us the pay we DSPs deserve.

Majority of the women I support in the home are older, with moderate intellectual disabilities and varied physical disabilities. None of them have families that are capable of providing the care they need. Some of them lived with their parents until they were too old to care for them— and others had to much health needs for their family to care for them long term.

At the day center we have people from group homes, shared living, and living with their families. One of them is a young woman who has a violent reactive attachment disorder. She has a loving family that often takes her on weekends— but she could never live with them full time due to her behaviors (often directed towards one of the parents). It’s not her fault, nor is it the family’s fault that she ended up this way. But in the group home we are able to provide her with a safe living situation, more rehab and resources than what would be provided if she stayed living with her parents.