direct support professional

residential specialist

program coordinator

youth worker

case manager

Apis Services Inc.

I worked for the Children’s Home of Reading, an APIS affiliate. I should’ve left the first day when the staff who was training me told me that employees at this company typically don’t even last a year, but I was fooled by the human suit that my supervisor had zipped on during my first week and alas I got through my shadowing and training to come back to an absolute mess. CHOR prioritizes money over everything, and is my opinion portrays the exact opposite of the values a typical non-profit displays. Supervision does not care about the welfare of the children. Active suicidal and homicidal ideation doesn’t get clients hospitalized as it should (even though they are highly unsafe in the program, they’ll be fine at home, right? Including to supervision the answer to this question is yes), because the company puts too much emphasis on the census and completely disregards the welfare of the children. Staff are told to use their best clinical judgement to keep clients safe, only to be undermined and bullied by supervision about it because it’s all about “getting and keeping the numbers up”. Because of this, staff are kept up at night praying the client makes it in alive the next day. Don’t expect to get your work done at work because you will spend your entire day doing other people’s jobs and chasing around children. The staff to client ratio is unsafe, and we are told that the company can’t afford to hire more staff when higher ups make quadruple of what everyone else makes.  Staff are constantly leaving and the logical thing to do would be to cut the census until more people are hired, but no “the numbers”. It’s an unsafe environment for the kids and staff.  Everyone is burnt out and bitter. Don’t complain to the supervisor, because you will just belittled and gaslighted. Complaining about having too much on your plate and being burnt out just gets more responsibilities and tasks piled on top of you.  Higher-ups are passive aggressive and talk about employees to other employees. Kids are out of school for months at a time while in program, a lot of them not showing symptoms but supervision lies to the insurance company embellishing and fabricating symptoms to get them more time in the program where they are missing out on valuable education. Raises? At CHOR? Forget about that! HR says that employee raises are only (you might be able to guess this) dependent on the census! There are excellent employees who have worked here 5+ years without a single increase in pay. CHOR is highly unethical, definitely not “trauma-informed” like they claim to be, and on a day to day basis prioritizes profit over people. I suggest you run as far as you can away from this company.

While the mission of APIS and its affiliates is meaningful, the internal operations of the organization are extremely difficult to work within. The company operates across many affiliates, but there is very little structure or consistency in how work is managed.
One of the most significant challenges is communication and decision-making. Projects and responsibilities frequently change without notice, and employees responsible for the work are often not included in those decisions. Plans that are agreed upon in meetings can be changed days later without explanation, leaving teams scrambling to understand what they are supposed to be doing. 
Operational systems are another major issue. Billing systems, financial workflows, and EHR processes often do not work together effectively. Staff regularly have to create manual workarounds to correct system problems or process billing just to keep revenue moving. In some situations, there has even been discussion of manually entering billing data when system files fail to process properly. 
Training and on boarding are inconsistent and poorly documented. Employees are often expected to figure out complex processes on their own because formal training materials or clear procedures do not exist. This results in repeated mistakes, rework, and frustration across departments. 
Staffing and workload are also ongoing problems. High turnover in critical roles (4 CROs since I been here) means responsibilities are frequently redistributed to the remaining employees. This creates a constant cycle of catching up on backlog work instead of improving processes. 
Leadership has acknowledge challenges, including large accounts receivable backlogs and concerns about billing. 
For candidates considering a role here, it is important to understand that many of the challenges are structural and organization-wide rather than isolated to one department. Employees who expect clear processes, stable leadership, or strong operational support may find the environment extremely frustrating.
Advice to management:
The organization needs significant investment in leadership accountability, operational structure, and system integration. Without these changes, employees will continue spending most of their time managing chaos rather than improving services.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The drama from upper management. Not being listened to when you are the "expert" in your area. Not getting raises or reviews. CEO ignores the day-to-day workers even when he requests you to participate. Affiliates lean hard on everyone to put in "extra" hours if they are salaried. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Horrible! I have been with the company for a year our department never grew even tho we are asked to do more and more you bring it up to CFO and CEO and we are told it is temporary. People are drowning now and can't see Friday coming down the week, and the CFO and CEO say that is just downright out of touch. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Start with a backlog of work and try to catch up and then get to the work that you need to do today. So much work that you can't catch up on items that need to be completed. Affiliates dump more work on your lap since they can't get their work completed and you need to for yours, and you get no respect or appreciation for getting all this work done. You see other coworkers not pulling their weight, but at the same time not removed since "high turnover" is a thing that HR worries about.


This facility is extremely poorly managed. There’s no real organization, structure, or accountability when it comes to staff issues. Professional boundaries between staff and clients are often crossed, and management consistently fails to address it. The overall culture is toxic and dysfunctional — it needs a complete overhaul.
Management gives the impression that they support you, but in reality, they don’t. When you try to implement structure or enforce rules, they don’t back you up. Instead of helping you grow or improve, they tend to work against you and, in some cases, indirectly retaliate.
It’s not a healthy or supportive work environment. I would not recommend working here to anyone who values professionalism, structure, or career development. There are much better organizations where you can truly make a difference and feel supported.
I also feel bad for the youth in their care — many of them don’t improve because of how poorly the program is managed. The focus seems to be more on keeping the facility staffed and funded than actually helping these kids prepare for the real world.
I don’t expect any workplace to be perfect, but this one is far from acceptable. It either needs major reform or should be shut down altogether. If you don’t believe me, go work there yourself — you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Most of the staff are lazy and only work here for an easy paycheck; the welfare of the patients they're supposed to be caring for means nothing to them. The workplace is very cliquey and there's tons of gossip. If you don't "fit in" you are in danger. I had a crisis situation during my time working there, and my coworkers left me alone with multiple armed patients despite asking for help. 

It is protocol for all employees to leave their unit and help during a crisis situation. I was disliked by some of my coworkers because I'm introverted so they didn't help when patients left their rooms without permission and began making makeshift weapons. When I brought it up to management, I was gaslit and my concerns were swept under the rug. They didn't even get a slap on the wrist. 

You are not supposed to restrain patients except as a last resort and they know this and take full advantage of it. If you work nights, there is no on-site security, no front desk attendant, and the only thing you have to rely on are coworkers that could care less about you. If the patients decide to act up, you are outnumbered 10 to 1. 

I have been with this company for more than a year and still have not receive a raise. This company does not offer bonuses or what you are worth, and still want you to work your butt off. There are people with their Masters and have not applied for any new position because they don't pay.  The company want you to do everything outside your title without paying you. It is a joke, hourly workers get paid more than salary workers due to the amount of overtime they are able to accumulate. While salary do not get no raises or bonuses but want you to do extra work. That is why most workers do just the bare minimum. If you have a mortgage to pay. This company is not it. I have to work two jobs to pay my rent and car note and I have a degree. I be leaving real soon like the others. Not worth the headache. My bills comes first! You have been warn to stay away. It has been months since I have seen any new employees. Once they hear what they are offering, they decline.

I use to love working for this company.  Anymore it is not about the individuals care and needs.  It is all about how top heavy they can make the company.  They are currently "reorganizing the company" again.  So, we have programs that are sound and running smoothly that we are going to uproot just to add new positions.  Staff that have worked in the office and had the perks of evenings, weekends and holidays off now are told to work in home 40 hours.  Salary staff are losing their salary pay and now going to hourly pay.  They have to work every other weekend, holiday and evening.  There really is no perk of being an APC or a PC other than a minimal pay raise.  Pay is not equal across the board.  There are supervisors out there that are making more money than those that went to college and got a degree that their job requires.  No communication from higher ups and they do not advocate for staff.

A typical day involved supporting individuals with their daily goals, documentation, and community engagement. I learned how to adapt quickly, advocate effectively, and maintain patience in fast‑paced situations. The workplace culture was centered around teamwork, though communication and consistency across departments could be improved. Management varied depending on the location and supervisor. The hardest part of the job was navigating staffing shortages, but the most enjoyable part was building meaningful relationships and seeing individuals make progress.

Working there for over two years, I feel as I barely gained any experience or knowledge. The company is constantly switching employees, so there's no real leadership to follow. Although you have orientation, you never really get trained. You just get thrown onto the floor with the youth or adults. They'll allow you to work in the house without being certified in all of the required trainings. The turnover rate is so high, that there is always multiple shifts available for overtime. They pretty much hire anyone and it shows. It is very catty and drama filled at almost every house. The company is cheap and doesn't give raises or promotions. The pay is below average for the work that you do. Didn't even receive hazard pay during the COVID-19 pandemic. Would not recommend this place of employment for anyone. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
The people you care for are the best part of working for this company.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Management , crucial lack of communication. Company on a whole does not foster a mentally healthy,"safe" secure feeling, work environment.Their open door and reporting policies are laughable .

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It is a toxic work environment with absolutely no loyalty or consideration down to tenure of employment..You can work for this ever name,CEO changing company for ten years or ten minutes,no difference..You're susceptible to whatever whim when whomever sees fit.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Direct support professional 748 salaries reported	$16.37 per hour
Residential specialist 513 salaries reported	$16.01 per hour
Program coordinator 179 salaries reported	$17.30 per hour
Youth worker 126 salaries reported	$18.95 per hour
Case manager 110 salaries reported	$19.72 per hour

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