Being a personal care assistant, direct support professional, Life Sharing host or employment specialist are all ways to jump-start a career in human services. The work attracts people who are value driven and passionate towards supporting people with disabilities to live a life that makes sense to them. A career path in human services can bring you joy from those you get to know and support. One way to set up a successful career is to find a good match with someone needing supports who shares your values and interests. Below are several methods for finding people you connect with.    

Ways to find a match 

Direct Support Connect 

One way to connect with the right people and a job in human services is Direct Support Connect. Direct Support Connect is an online job board for direct support professionals — such as personal care assistants (PCAs) — and the people who hire them. By creating a personal profile, people who need assistance can post and describe their work opportunities, interests, and general location. Likewise, support workers can create profiles that highlight their skills, availability and other preferences. The website matches workers to jobs, and people to available workers. Direct Support Connect is a free service provided by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. 

Life Sharing 

Life Sharing is another way to start a career in health and human services. It is a relationship-based living arrangement that carefully matches an adult age 18 or older who has a disability with an individual or family who will share their life, home and experiences, and support the person using person-centered practices. It’s a great way to earn income working from home while you support a person by sharing your talents and lives together. 

The process of Life Sharing includes discovering shared interests, personality characteristics, rituals and routines, and support needs of the person. These are the essentials when developing a relationship with someone and when you find a new job. Spending time with them and getting to know a person on a deeper level unveils the authenticity of what the relationship becomes. People who begin a Life Sharing matching process meet and get to know each other over time in a variety of places; they can range from conversations on Zoom, walks in the park, attendance at baseball games, etc. After several meetings, if both parties are happy with the match, then a service provider will assist with moving arrangements and ongoing related paperwork.  

In the 2011 NASDDDS Shared Living Guide it was reported for Pennsylvania that out of 842 individuals in Life Sharing, the length of relationships is remarkably stable, particularly as compared to staff turnover rates in other residential settings. They found that:  

• 262 individuals shared the same situation for 5 years,  
• 126 individuals shared the same situation for 10 years, and  
• 75 individuals shared the same situation for 15 years.  

Here is a video that discusses the importance of intentional matching: Derek Dufresne on matching. If you are interested in becoming a Life Sharing host, notify your local county. This support option is relatively new in Minnesota so if the county is unfamiliar with the process, share this blog with them and they can send any questions they have to their Human Services Regional Resource Specialist.  

Matching resources that can be used by any employer 

If you are a direct support professional or recruit direct support professionals, matching people intentionally can lead to staff retention and better person-centered supports for those who receive services in Minnesota. There are several tools (such as the matching support tool and one-page profile) that can facilitate the beginning of a new relationship. Helpful tools take an in-depth look at personality characteristics such as rituals and routines, preferences, likes, dislikes, etc., in an effort to find how people might have commonalities that would lead to a long-term relationship. Tools should prompt the question of: what are the supports needs of the person in order to find the right amount of support at the right time? If you would like assistance in identifying good matches at your workplace, consider working with a person-centered planning facilitator.  

These examples are just a few ways to find a good career match, and employers may use other tools or methods for matching. Let your employer know during your interview if this is something you would like to explore. Finding a good match can lead to a more rewarding and satisfying career, and we wish you luck in finding someone you truly connect with. 

Scott Schifsky is the Life Sharing initiative lead at the Minnesota Department of Human Services.