therapist

residence manager

kitchen manager

counselor

clerical worker

KPEP

KPEP does NOT send references to other employers.  If you need professional references from current/previous team leads or supervisors to get a new job, KPEP will not provide references per policy.  KPEP will only provide proof of employment. 

Resident Coordinator (RC) is almost always the position they are hiring for.  The administration/management team is generally unorganized, and typically detached from any issues an RC will experience.  RC's are given the responsibility to coordinate the daily functions of KPEPs programming; headcounts, meals, resident/area searches, etc.  Responsibilities are often dropped on new employees before they are trained and comfortable to perform because chances are, the new hire is relieving other employees from working excessive over-time due to KPEP being understaffed so often.  The administration is not helpful when they are approached with issues.  Most issues will involve residents and enforcing rules, and too often the RC will be painted as the "bad guy" for trying to enforce the rules.

Experiences may be valuable to an employee's skill set when applying them in a later career.

KPEP is a residential substance abuse and SA agency serving the criminal justice population. A typical day is pack with group and individual therapy sessions follow by and enormous amount of computer documentation and paperwork. Management is controlled by dictators who are very ridged and demanding to all staff and residents. The buildings are very run down and they often run out of things like hand soap and paper towels in the bathrooms and will not replace it until a new month arrives. The paperwork and documentation methods are extremely outdated and very confusing for staff to input, follow or update and management will not do a thing to improve the flow of information because management designed the data system and will not let it be easily improved through professional help. The hardest part of the job was watching the clients be abused by the inadequate program conditions. The best part of the job was working with the residents to try to improve their lives following discharge.

Don’t do it!!!!!! This company has a high turn over rate. People often quit quickly after experiencing the work environment. Upper management and case managers treats security horrible.  Security works the closest with residents yet has the least say. Mentally unstable residents are allowed into the program that should not be there due to the height of their mental unstableness. Drugs are constantly a problem at several locations. They have so many residents testing positive for drugs that don’t even leave the facilities!! They are a joke and only care about the money they receive to house the residents. The books for the classes are a joke as well residents will tell you they lie in them and only fill them out to complete the program and they do not help with their recovery. It’s all about the money, they can care less about rehabilitating those residents. They leave the program and end up right back in there because they are not properly rehabilitated . It’s a cycle of money!!!

Working for Kalamazoo Probation Enhancement Program was a wonderful experience. It was a challenging job but yet also rewarding. A typical day at work included conducting head counts, room searches, strip searches and drug tests. Staff would also be in charge of regulating medication times and teaching classes every  night. I also had the privilege of becoming CPR certified through their program. Working with drug addicts and criminals was an eye opening experience. I taught me a lot about myself as well as an addicts life. The management at KPEP was wonderful. They were always willing to help with any concerns employees may have and were always there to talk if I needed it. The management genuinely cared about the employees well being. The hardest part about this job was seeing resident strive in the program but go back to their old ways when they got out. The most enjoyable part about this job was building relationships with the residents and seeing them grow in to better people throughout the program.

This is a rehabilitation program. Their client return rate is so high, this program is an embarrassment to the rehabilitative part of law enforcement.
Security officers are called resident coordinators, however, it it literal security. This is just to keep it more PC and not pay employees higher wages. 
When i worked here, I worked with some truly awful offenders who were not only disrespectful but made me feel unsafe. You are given nothing to protect yourself. Your job as a resident coordinator is to hand out write ups and not have anything to protect yourself against retaliation. You are not given any training on de-escalation. You are not given any allowance towards uniforms and it's pretty strict. 
All in all... I would only work here if you are interested in helping those who are in need of rehab, to reoffend. This program is a personal checking acct for the CEO.

As a Primary Therapist, I experienced a team oriented environment, care and compassion from the administrative staff, and my Clinical Supervisor was the BEST I've ever had, or will have.  The individuals I worked with at the Muskegon location became my second family.  All staff are supportive of each other and willing to lend a hand whenever needed.  I was fortunate enough that they became dear friends of mine and hold a special place in my heart.

Honestly, at times the workload can be overwhelming, although time management and organizational skills are imperative.

I also found the compensation and yearly bonuses were absolutely top notch!  And, I was promoted twice during my first year/year and a half of employment!  Awesome room for growth and truly a great place to work!

Working at KPEP is a decent experience for someone going into criminal justice. Interacting with the residents allows you to gain interpersonal communication skills, and gives insight into the criminal mindset, drug addiction, mental illness, and the criminal justice system. The pay is good, especially compared to other "security" jobs. However, the management are not great. Program Managers and the executives are not receptive of the line employees (security), who interact with the residents more than they or the case managers do. Their views and strategies on rehabilitation are sometimes questionable, especially with some program rules that make no sense. They do not take criticism well, and would prefer the status quo over positive change. 

There is a high turnover at this company, mostly due to management.

I was with KPEP for 8 months. It seemed great at first, who doesn’t want to help people. But I soon learned how little they care about anything but those dollar signs. They say their main focus is on the clients, to help them, to better them, but I don’t know how they can say that when they fire therapists left and right, move therapists to different buildings and what not, forcing clients to have multiple therapists during their time with us which can range from 3+ months. They make 1 person do the work load of 2 or more, I was doing work for 2+ Buildings at a time and constantly being ridiculed for not having work done, but there was no time. The only good thing about this place was my coworkers. They became my saviors, the light at the end of the tunnel for each work week. I would never recommend anyone to place, to work or for treatment 

A typical day working at KPEP as a therapist is overloaded with client contact and paperwork! Management treats employees like slaves and the client population even worse! The computer system and database is controlled by a 15 year old software system that the management will not update which causes much more work than there needs to be. All co-workers are unsatisfied with the management! The working conditions are bad and employees are afraid to speak up for fear of being fired by demanding, unreasonable bosses. The hardest part of the job is being part of the overall dysfunctional working conditions. The most enjoyable part is occasionally being able to provide some therapeutic improvements for some of the residents.

Some of the resident coordinators were very knowledgeable about the job others were out right lazy. You will end up working hours that you don't want too. The pay is too low for dealing with the type of individuals that you are dealing with to include staff on a daily basis. They need to hire older individuals that have experienced life and that have been through some trials and tribulations in life, and know how to talk and deal with people, instead they hire 20 year olds that never experienced anything in life and think that making the residents that live there life hard by flexing their so called authority is the best way to deal with the individuals that have to live there. The pay definitely needs to be hire have more people of color working and have better security when it comes to the facility itself.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Therapist 7 salaries reported	$56,819 per year
Residence manager 2 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour
Kitchen manager 5 salaries reported	$17.91 per hour
Counselor 1 salary reported	$55,799 per year
Clerical worker 2 salaries reported	$16.49 per hour

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