Prevalence of food and housing insecurity among direct support professionals in New York

The widespread insecurity this study demonstrates is an occupational hazard that reduces worker welfare. At the macro-level, household insecurity is a critical threat to the stability of the care and support delivery system. The human services sector is projected to grow rapidly in the future. If growth continues along low wage lines, it implies an equally rapid expansion of worker insecurity. Government action to raise pay and interventions that enhance food and housing security are needed to support workers in the care delivery system for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.