Who We Are

The problem we built this to solve

The HCBS industry has a structural problem most agencies prefer not to discuss publicly: Direct Support Professionals are routinely underpaid for work that requires sustained emotional regulation, behavioral awareness, precise communication across disability contexts, and a long-term commitment to another person's daily life. Predictably, the national workforce churns. Many agencies cycle through a substantial share of their frontline team within a calendar year.

The client absorbs the cost of that churn. Every new DSP is a stranger who doesn't know the routine, the communication preferences, the behavioral patterns it took months to learn. Every re-staffing period is a gap in continuity. Every emergency schedule patch is a disruption inside a relationship that was supposed to be the stabilizing thing in someone's week.

This isn't a motivational failure. It's an incentive failure. Pay people what the work requires, or accept the turnover the work will produce. Most agencies have quietly accepted the turnover. We chose not to.

What we do differently

Compensation above the local floor

Our Direct Support Professional pay model targets compensation above the standard reimbursement floor for Kansas HCBS services, and is designed to layer in a quarterly profit-sharing component once the agency reaches operational stability — specifically, once a three-month operating reserve is funded and we are supporting at least eight active clients. DSPs share in the financial success of the operation they build. This is not a benefit. It is an incentive structure designed to attract people who want a career in this field and give them a financial reason to stay in it.

Interest-based matching

Client–DSP pairs are not assigned by geographic proximity or open-shift availability. We use a structured matching process that evaluates alignment across communication style, daily routine, personal interests, and support philosophy before a working relationship begins. A well-matched pair produces less friction, more stability, and better outcomes for everyone involved. The methodology comes first.

Friction-reduced operations

Compliance documentation, scheduling coordination, training tracking, and administrative overhead are handled through integrated systems designed to minimize how much of a DSP's active support time is spent on tasks that aren't direct support. This is not about cutting corners on documentation — documentation is required and must happen reliably. It is about making it as fast and low-friction as possible so the people doing this work can direct their attention toward the person they're actually there for.

Who we serve

We provide KDADS-funded HCBS services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Johnson County and surrounding Kansas City metro communities. Primary services include residential habilitation, personal care, and community integration under the Kansas DD and IDD waiver programs.

We serve a small, intentionally limited caseload. This is not a constraint we're working to overcome — it is a feature of the model. Relationship-based care with genuine continuity does not survive rapid expansion. When agencies scale faster than they can staff with people who are actually good at the job, clients absorb the quality loss. We have chosen to grow at the pace quality allows.

Our team model

Every DSP at Servants Mission is treated as a skilled professional. The work requires behavioral awareness, emotional self-regulation, precise communication across disability contexts, and a sustained long-term commitment to another person's daily life and goals. We hire for that profile specifically, train to a standard that reflects those requirements, and compensate accordingly.

Nursing oversight — competency sign-offs, delegation protocols, and any medically-adjacent support needs — is provided by a contracted registered nurse operating under formal KDADS delegation requirements. Delegation does not transfer clinical accountability. It structures it appropriately. Our clients receive real nursing-level oversight without having a medical apparatus dominate a daily support relationship that is fundamentally about quality of life.

A note on capacity and fit

We maintain a limited active caseload and are not always accepting new clients. When we're not, we say so clearly and help families identify appropriate alternatives.

If you need a large agency with broad geographic coverage and many available openings, we're not that — and we'll point you toward agencies who are. If you're looking for a small, operationally serious provider in the Kansas City metro area who treats the DSP–client relationship as the central unit of care quality — and who has built the compensation structure, matching methodology, and operational systems to protect it — this may be the right conversation to have.

Contact usto start one. If we're not the right fit for your situation, we'll tell you, and we'll help you find someone who is.