FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 15, 2024

Contact: [email protected]

AUSTIN, TX – Today, the Time To Care: Save Texas Caregivers Now coalition released a statement on new data underscoring the escalating workforce crisis facing community-based direct support professionals (DSPs) serving Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The data, collected from a statewide survey of IDD service providers conducted by the Texas Council of Community Centers (Texas Council), Providers Alliance for Community Services of Texas (PACSTX) and the Private Providers Alliance of Texas (PPAT), found that community-based service providers are facing unsustainable staff vacancy rates of 33-34% due to a lack of competitive wages for the DSP workforce.

“It is abundantly clear that the 88^th Texas Legislature’s wage increase for DSPs from $8.11 per hour to $10.60 per hour has failed to address the workforce crisis among community-based providers of IDD services, as the issue has only been exacerbated,” Time To Care coalition spokespeople Sandy Batton and Carole Smith said. “Instead, we’re seeing more group homes close, along with an untenable increase in staff vacancies. With thousands of Texans with IDD relying on paid staff in small residential settings—including Home and Community-based Services (HCS) and Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) group homes—it’s imperative that we act now to protect our most vulnerable. The most recent statistics should serve as a clear call to action to Texas leaders, illustrating the urgent need to ensure that Texans with IDD receive the quality care and support they deserve.”

Additionally, the survey found that:

• Staff vacancy rates in HCS homes and ICF facilities rose from 30% in 2021 to 33-34% in 2024.
• DSPs in group homes currently work an average of 60 hours per week, with some working 100 hours per week or more, leading to fatigue-related errors and lower tolerance for stressful situations.
  • 48% of HCS homes and 57% of ICF facilities are struggling to meet federal access standards.
  • 20% of HCS homes and 22% of ICF facilities are reporting an increase in medication errors.
  • 30% of HCS homes and 43% of ICF facilities are experiencing an increase in behavioral issues.
  • 14% of HCS homes and ICF facilities are reporting an increase in hospitalizations.
• 94% of HCS providers and 96% of ICF providers indicated that $10.60 per hour is not sufficient to address the workforce shortage.
• A total of 179 HCS homes and 50 ICF facilities closed between January 2023 and February 2024.
• From March 2024 onward, there are an additional 92 HCS homes and 34 ICF facilities anticipated to close by the end of the year.

To read the full survey report, please click here.

To learn more about the workforce crisis facing community-based DSPs, please click here.

Time To Care: Save Texas Caregivers Now is a coalition dedicated to securing competitive wages for direct support professionals (DSPs) who provide essential care to Texans with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Through collaboration and grassroots efforts, the coalition strives to enact meaningful change at both the legislative and community levels. Learn more about how to get involved at https://timetocaretx.org/.

###