The State of America’s Direct Support Workforce Crisis 2020

Right before the COVID-19 pandemic, ANCOR surveyed its members with a key question in mind: what are the human and financial impacts of high turnover and vacancy rates within the direct support workforce? Reputable data sources such as the National Core Indicators Staff Stability Survey tell us about the extent of turnover among DSPs, but why does high turnover matter? What are the impossible choices providers are forced to make when confronted with ongoing recruitment and retention challenges?

When we fielded the survey in February 2020, we were blown away by the 800+ responses we received. In this issue brief, we highlight the findings of our research, which paint a dire picture of the direct support workforce crisis in America.