Waiver Services
Empowering independence through compassionate, in-home support.
St. David’s In-Home Support Services, delivered by dedicated Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), provide personalized assistance to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These services are designed to promote independence, safety, and well-being—at home and in the community—while fostering meaningful connections and full participation in daily life.
Care Three Ways
Individualized Home Support with Training
Our compassionate and committed Direct Support Professionals provide individualized support focused on essential skill development across a range of key parts of independence and community living.
Individualized Home Support without Training
Tailored to each adult's unique needs, strengths, and preferences, this individualized support focuses on skill maintenance, daily living activities, and community engagement, all with caring supervision.
In-Home Hourly Respite
Staff provide short-term care services to a person when the person’s primary caregiver is absent or needs relief. Respite is provided in the person’s home. Respite provides the level of supervision and care necessary to ensure the person is healthy and safe.
All Ages
The client intake meeting can take 2 hours; client semiannual and annual meetings take 2-3 hours per year
Staff onboarding can take up to a month
Community based, in the homes of the people receiving services
Service hours are determined based on the individual’s assessed needs and preferred schedule. Program Supervisors are available during office hour and on call.
Eligibility: Clients must have a Developmental Disability (DD) or Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) Waiver. A service authorization must be in place before intake can be completed. Reach out to us for more information.
Our Individualized home support services cover community living services in four categories:
- Community Participation
- Health, Safety, and Wellness
- Household Management
- Adaptive Skills
Community Participation
This category may include:
- Community mobility and pedestrian safety
- Community resource use and access
- Community safety and awareness
- Informal support and network development
- Interpersonal communications skills
- Leisure, recreation, and socialization planning
- Skill-building to meet transportation needs
Health, Safety, and Wellness
This category may include:
- Collaborating with the person to arrange healthcare, meaningful activities, social services, meetings, and appointments
- Cueing, guiding, supervising, training, or providing instructional support to complete self-cares
- Health services support
- Supporting the person in activating and building resiliency factors
- Supporting the person in designing and meeting individualized strategies to reach their health, safety, and wellness goals
Household Management
This category may include:
- Cueing, guiding, supervising, training, or providing instructional support to complete routine household care and maintenance
- Supporting household safety knowledge and skills
- Tenancy support and advocacy
- Training, assisting, supporting and/or providing guidance with:
- Budgeting and money management
- Cooking, meal-planning, and nutrition
- Healthy lifestyle skills and practices
- Household chores, including minor household maintenance activities
- Purchasing items for personal needs
Adaptive Skills
This category may include supporting:
- Crisis prevention skills
- The implementation of positive support strategies
- Problem-solving
- The sensory/motor development involved in acquiring functional skills
- Strategies for self-sufficiency
- Training to increase positive behaviors, resulting in the reduction or elimination of challenging behaviors
What Families Say
Frequently Asked Questions
Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) typically assist with daily living tasks.
Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), who work within Waivered Services, provide broader support including community participation, health and wellness, household management, and adaptive skill development.
Yes. If your child is 18 or older, parents may be eligible to work under the Individualized Home Supports without Training service.
Individualized Home Supports without Training focuses on maintaining existing skills. Individualized Home Supports with Training is designed to help individuals build new skills and increase independence.
Applicants begin by applying for the Direct Support Professional position on the St. David’s website. The process includes a phone screen and interview, motor vehicle record and background checks, and reference checks. New hires complete a general orientation, department- and client-specific training, and required online training courses through the Department of Human Services. Guardians or family members provide daily oversight, scheduling, and training related to the individual’s specific needs.
Non-relative staff
- staff must be 18 years of age
- Have a valid driver’s license
- Their own reliable vehicle
- They must be able to pass a Motor Vehicle Record Check and Background Study.
- Experience is preferred but not required.
Relative staff
- There can be exceptions to the age of the worker as well as some other requirements for families who are recruiting relatives to work with their loved ones.
Staff are not reimbursed for mileage at this time.
Yes, staff can work with a client while the client is on vacation within the State of Minnesota. However, services cannot be provided outside of the state.
Guardian and Staff Resources
Click here to view our policies and other helpful documents.
