Why the Direct Support Professional workforce is essential to independence, inclusion, and a stronger community-based system.
Every year, National Direct Support Professional Recognition Week shines a spotlight on a workforce whose impact far exceeds its visibility.
From September 13-19, communities across the country will recognize the Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) live, work, and participate fully in their communities.
At Keystone Alliance, we see the impact of DSPs every day through our founding organizations, Glenkirk and Search360. We also know that while recognition matters, it is only part of the story. DSPs are not simply a workforce we appreciate. They are a workforce our communities depend on.
The People Behind Community Living
Direct Support Professionals support daily routines, build skills, foster independence, and help people maintain meaningful connections to their communities.
They assist with everything from employment goals and community participation to personal care and daily living activities. Their work is deeply relational, requiring consistency, trust, judgment, and skill.
For many families, DSPs have become some of the most important people in their lives. For people with I/DD, they help transform the idea of community living into a daily reality.
A Workforce That Makes the Entire System Possible
Across Illinois, community providers support more than 35,000 people with I/DD through state-funded services. At the same time, more than 17,000 people remain on waiting lists for services.
One of the biggest factors shaping access to those services is workforce capacity.
Without enough DSPs, providers cannot open new homes, expand programs, or fully utilize available funding. People wait longer for services and opportunities to grow the system become limited. Workforce availability directly shapes system capacity.
That is why conversations about DSPs are ultimately conversations about access, choice, and quality of life.
The Reality Providers Continue to Navigate
Across Illinois, approximately 20,000 Direct Support Professionals provide services that make community living possible for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Yet providers throughout the state continue to face significant workforce challenges. Annual DSP turnover often exceeds 35% to 40%, while vacancy rates regularly reach levels that limit service capacity and force organizations to turn away referrals.
Statewide data shows that Illinois continues to lag behind national workforce benchmarks. DSP turnover is estimated at approximately 44% in Illinois, compared to a national average of roughly 37% to 40%, while some providers experience vacancy rates approaching 25%. More than half of Illinois providers report turning away individuals or limiting admissions due to staffing shortages.
We see those realities within our own family of organizations as well. Together, Glenkirk and Search360 employ more than 300 DSPs who support over 600 individuals annually across the Chicago metropolitan area. Across our organizations, DSP turnover ranges from approximately 29% to 32%, while vacancy rates range from approximately 14% to 17%. Although these figures are below some of the highest turnover and vacancy rates seen across Illinois, they underscore the persistent workforce challenges facing providers throughout the state.
These workforce challenges are not unique to any one organization. They reflect broader system conditions that continue to shape recruitment, retention, and access to community-based supports throughout Illinois.
Recognition Is Important. So Is Professionalization.
One of the most important conversations happening across the field is how we recognize DSPs not only as essential workers, but as skilled professionals.
Today, Direct Support Professionals are still not identified as a distinct occupation within federal workforce classification systems. Without that recognition, workforce data remains incomplete, making it more difficult to track trends, compare wages, and plan effectively for the future.
At the same time, organizations across the country continue working to strengthen career pathways, credentialing opportunities, training frameworks, and advancement opportunities for DSPs.
These efforts reflect an important truth: DSP work is not transitional work.
It is skilled, relationship-based work that deserves recognition as a profession and a career.
A Career Path That Shouldn't Require Leaving the Work
One of the less visible challenges facing the DSP workforce is what many leaders refer to as the career ladder paradox.
In many organizations, the primary way for a DSP to increase their earnings is to move into a supervisory or administrative position. That creates an unintended dilemma. Some of the most experienced and effective DSPs are encouraged to leave the direct support work they excel at in order to advance professionally.
The result is a loss of valuable frontline expertise and trusted relationships for the people receiving support.
Contrast that with professions such as nursing, where individuals can gain certifications, develop specialized skills, and increase their earnings while remaining in direct practice.
Many organizations across the country are working to create similar pathways for DSPs through credentialing programs, advanced training opportunities, and tiered career tracks. These models recognize that professional growth should not require leaving the work itself.
Building those pathways is about more than workforce development. It is about creating a profession that attracts talented people, rewards expertise, and allows experienced DSPs to continue doing the work they love while growing their careers.
Investing in the Workforce Means Investing in People
Strong community-based services depend on a strong workforce. That is why we continue to support three priorities:
Recognizing DSPs as a distinct profession through a federal Standard Occupational Classification (SOC)
Supporting competitive and sustainable wages that keep pace with the realities of today's workforce and continue progress toward the Guidehouse recommendation of wages at 150% of minimum wage
Investing in training, credentialing, and career pathways that allow DSPs to grow professionally while remaining in direct support roles
Together, these efforts help strengthen recruitment, retention, and the long-term stability of the community-based service system.
Ultimately, workforce investments are about more than staffing numbers.
They help ensure people with I/DD have access to consistent relationships, reliable services, and the supports they need to live meaningful lives in their communities.
A Week of Recognition and Reflection
National DSP Recognition Week is an opportunity to celebrate the people who make community living possible.
It is also an opportunity to recognize the significance of the role they play.
Every day, DSPs help create a more inclusive community. They support independence. They build connections. They help people pursue goals, strengthen relationships, and participate in the life of their community.
That impact deserves recognition this week and throughout the year.
Join the Conversation
This week, we encourage you to take a moment to recognize a Direct Support Professional who has made a difference in your life, your organization, or your community.
Keystone Alliance is an ecosystem of nonprofit organizations, services, and initiatives, working together and with the field as a collaborative force to help nonprofits strengthen and sustain their missions.
We support our family of organizations and the larger nonprofit community through Keystone Shared Services, our shared back office platform, and Mission + Strategy, our strategic consulting division.
Let’s talk to see how we can help create capacity, sustainability, and collaboration for your organization.
Other Articles You Might Like
