intervention specialist

direct support professional

coach

paraprofessional

technician

Journeys Family of Services

The job itself is not bad. If you're an overall patient individual, you form meaningful acquaintanceships with some of the clients. This position can be fairly easy-going if you're placed with the right clients. Unfortunately, that doesn't make up for the poor quality and carelessness of the management. 

First off, the pay rate on the job search tells you that starting pay is $10.50 when in reality, it's $9.50. That's already a red flag about the company when they lie to potential employees before they are invited in for their job interviews.

Also, YOU have to pay $90 to attend an all-day class to be med-certified, not the company for you to attend. The RA at the time even had the nerve to schedule me to come in and work an evening shift immediately after this med-certified class was over! You're kidding me?! That's a clear indication that the management doesn't care about your personal life or if you have another job that more likely pays more.

Another down about working here is that you can only work specific eight hour shifts which once again is inconvenient especially if you have a family or another job someplace else.

Lastly, it came time for me to officially quit working for HAS as I was about to become full-time with my better-paying job due to the business of the holiday season and preparation to leave for military officer training shortly following the New Year going into the summer. I had given all management from each level notice of my immenent departure from the company weeks in advance and consistently sending reminders. One of the other RA's was taking over for the RA that I was under and that other RA had no clue about my departure and still scheduled me to work my regular hours after my planned quit date.

Obviously, there are big changes that need to be made with HAS. If you don't have too much of a life going on and you can put up with a lot, then this is an okay job for you. Otherwise, I don't recommend you attempt to be hired on as a staff member with HAS as long as things are the way they were when I was there.

Journeys DDA has a lot of potential as an employer, but experiences some major failings that severely limit its quality as a place to work.

Strengths: Lots of contact with the DD population, generally collaborative and supportive working environment with lots of communication, generally flexible work hours that are especially accommodating for students, adequate training, most of all SUPER COOL CLIENTS. 5 stars on the clients. I have really cool clients that I adore. I generally feel empowered to work with them in a good way and enjoy my work with them.

Why it didn't get 4-5 stars: Biggest issue is somewhat low pay in combination with lack of reimbursement for vehicle expenses. Journeys expects workers to transport clients in personal vehicles and does not reimburse for gas or insurance costs. I am a student working less than 30 hours a week and I still drove an average of over 140 miles weekly for the month of April, and this was simply picking up clients, taking them to 1-2 nearby places in the community, and dropping them off. On a wage of just over 21 an hour, this is an onerous burden. If you work as an IS here, expect to pay out of your own pocket for vehicle costs that can be quite substantial.

The other big issue for me is underqualification of supervisors. In ideal ABA provision, BCBA's generate and supervise treatment plans while RBT's implement the plans. However, while I don't know their exact qualifications, I do know my direct supervisors responsible for generating treatment plans are not BCBA's. 

Journeys has been a good place to work, but consider these limitations before you jump in, at least in their children's side of things. 

I learned a lot while working at journeys but everything I learned was on my own as I received little to no instruction or help from management.  I felt like I had been thrown into a lion pit. The clients I worked with were all sweethearts who I desperately wanted to be able to help but I was not given the proper tools to help them effectively.    I tried for many months and hoped it would get better but it just got worse and worse. This resulted in me having to leave Journeys and my clients after only working with them for a handful of months and forcing my clients back into the cycle of having three or more workers every year.  If you have prior experience with this type of work I'm sure you could do well on your own and really help your clients. If this is your first job like this, you will likely struggle a lot. Along with that, the pay is very low especially considering the education level required for the job. This is only worsened with the fact that you are paid in billable hours and (at least when I worked there) you are Not reimbursed for gas. My take home each paycheck was measly as the job requires a lot of driving (and therefore gas)  and I would usually have at least one client cancel each week. The best part of this job is the clients but I often felt like they deserved to be with a better company that cared about them more. 

Poor Management Practices
It’s disheartening to see that the management did not provide adequate training and often left staff without proper supervision. I realize this not only created an unsafe environment for employees but also put the clients at risk, which is concerning for everyone involved. I was injured several times when working there, however, it seemed that the managers did not care as well as HR, they made me feel unsafe and pressured me to go back to work too early when I was not ready to. Not only that, but I've noticed that the organization seems to experience a higher turnover rate compared to other family services for children and adults, which can be tough for both staff and clients.
It’s also concerning that there is very low pay for this position, the work schedule is part-time, and there are limited incentives, advancement opportunities, and NO health insurance for most employees—only the managers seem to benefit from these essential supports. The low pay for those who dedicate themselves to caring for clients is also troubling. It's important for everyone in the organization to feel valued and supported in their roles, not just the managers.

 



This industry is controlled by the State of Idaho - and it seems like a number of things, like employee wages and benefits, are restricted by how much the state pays the companies who do these services. Also working with disabled adults and kids is hard. I found this work to be rewarding, and the company to be good. I really think they worked hard to take care of us as best they could.

To succeed here, you have to be a self-starter, care about the participants, and have a strong sense of self-worth. Lots of the work is done on your own, so your skills will be tested, you cant coast on your co-worker's abilities.

My managers work hard, and they care about me. But some of what we do felt like a hospital...where everyone is always busy, so sometimes it can feel like people don't care - but it was because we were all trying to help the kids who need us most. 

Insurance could be so much better - but I'll bet you can say that about anywhere. I wish there was mileage reimbursement. But overall, I learned so much about disabilities, how to be a good employee, and how to work hard without constantly seeking approval from others. This was hard work, and I appreciated being a part of this. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
I loved that they make sure the clients are the priority and that management is always open to questions you may have to help you client better, or even just to hear what's going on in your life. I've have some health issues, and they were able to take the stress out of it from their side. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part is the kids behaviors, some can be dangerous, but we can get training to have that be less stressful.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Everyone is really kind and its a welcoming atmosphere. Most everyone is looking to grow and learn and do better with their clients and with other staff.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I often grab a car seat and go pick up my first client, we work on goals for a few hours and then I hand them off to another staff or take them home. Then, I have a break from 30-90 minutes and go pick up another client and repeat with their new goals for a few hours. Depending on your personal availability, you have a possibility to be scheduled from 9am all the way to 5pm or longer depending on the client and your wishes.

I do not get paid enough for the work I do. I put my all into this job. I get urinated on at work. I get sworn at by clients. I have clients who get physical. This job is incredibly emotionally and physically taxing. But I love it. But $10/hr is CRIMINAL. For all that we go through, we should be making at least $14. Upper management does not do a good job at all. When I had an issue with another coworker being inappropriate towards me and clients, it took MONTHS to get rid of that person. I often don’t get paid the correct amounts (for example, I was being underpaid by $3/hr for job coaching for MONTHS, and it still happens often). Every other DDA in the area pays at least $14/hr STARTING. A 25¢ raise after six months is insane. Quite honestly, I’m about ready to find a new place to work. I love this job. I love my clients. This type of work is my entire life. But it feels awful to know that even though this is one of the more expensive facilities, we are being severely underpaid. :(

First off you get benefits after a year of being there, kind of understandable because of the high turn over rate but still sucks. If you want solid direction don't work here, you'll get a different answer depending on the person  you ask. Staff can be poorly treated. I had two managers quit in the nine months I worked here because they just couldn't take it anymore. I have been a CNA for over 2 years and was still only paid $9.00/hr and you don't get reimbursed for gas, but yet you are expected to take your client to all their appointments and an activity within the community. Also talking about appointments, there was many times when the staff would be called up saying there was an appointment in the next hour or less and you had an half hour commute, or the appointment would be canceled and staff would get there and wait for an hour and then have to call management to find out that plans had been changed. Remind you that staff is not reimbursed for gas.

I have worked with H.A.S. for a total of 3 years now. This company has done amazing things for it's participants. I have seen so many participants gain skills, grow, and become contributing members of the community. This company has also provided several opportunities for me that would not be available to me in other work places. We have monthly staff meetings with supervisors about our clients. They take ideas staff have about how to help the client and implement it into their daily lives. I have had several opportunities to work and collaborate with members of healthcare teams and of the state. I am more prepared to enter the workforce with the experience that I have gained from working at H.A.S. I also have been able to directly impact other's lives in a positive way. H.A.S. also has done a wonderful job of working with  my schedule as a have been working through school. I am so grateful for H.A.S. for helping it's clients and investing in it's staff. 

The dedicated staff and management are ready, willing, and able to overcome client and staff concerns as they are the heart and most valuable part of HAS Inc.. The growth of the agency provides many opportunities for specialized training, certifications, and advancement for employees. HAS Inc. truly cares about quality for clients. Quality in housing, quality in staff, quality in services, and an overall "best life" approach. The workplace culture at HAS Inc. is awesome. It is filled with qualified and dedicated people. The diversity that exists is wonderful. Unlike other similar agencies HAS Inc. holds the expectation of employees to provide only the best care for clients. That is why the agency offers the highest wage in the area in order to attract and retain quality staff. Overall this is the best career I have ever had. I look forward to growing with this agency.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Intervention specialist 7 salaries reported	$25.79 per hour
Direct support professional 9 salaries reported	$14.22 per hour
Coach 4 salaries reported	$11.13 per hour
Paraprofessional 6 salaries reported	$13.33 per hour
Technician 5 salaries reported	$15.90 per hour

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