Penn-Mar Human Services, a nonprofit organization that serves people with disabilities, is boosting the hourly wages of it’s employees to $15.50 an hour, more than 40% above the median pay of a direct support worker in the United States.
Penn-Mar Human Services, a nonprofit serving people with disabilities in Maryland and Pennsylvania, plans to boost starting hourly wages for its front-line workers to $15.50 an hour, a $2.50 per hour raise aimed at attracting and keeping employees.
All “direct support professionals,” including entry-level and those already working at higher wages, will get a wage increase, the organization said Thursday. These employees work one-on-one with clients to help them do things independently.
The average pay for a direct support worker in the U.S. is $10.72 an hour, according to the National Association of Direct Support Professionals, with compensation largely tied to state and federal funding. Turnover rates in the profession are high.
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