Hiring 716: Crisis in adult care giver industry

There’s a shortage in western New Yorker for direct support workers who are responsible for caring for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Heritage Christian Services has dozens of openings across 14 counties.

Sasi has close to 100 vacancies across the three counties it serves.

Reps for both non-profits said state funding is part of the problem.

“With the minimum wage moving up for food service workers and state employees, we're competing with the same population to try and retain people and recruit people,” said Heritage Christian Services Regional Vice President, Chuck Collard.

State funding for worker wages increased by 6.5 percent this year. That helps nonprofits attract applicants. Hourly rates start between $11 and $13 an hour.

But, there's no word whether that funding will be available in the future.

A representative for the state Office of People with Developmental Disabilities released a statement saying “New York State is deeply committed to maintaining a robust workforce that ensure the safe and effective delivery of services. We recognize that the direct care workforce is the backbone of our service delivery system and have taken measures to increase salaries and enhance job quality through multi-year compensation increases for direct support professionals, and improvements in recruitment, training and retention.”

To apply at HCS, click here.

To apply to Sasi, click here.

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