The best DSP and group home staffing agency for most IDD, residential, and group home providers is Focused Staffing Group's Focused Behavioral division. It clears direct support professionals before you interview, works with one client per region, pays its people weekly with a mobile shift app, and converts temp-to-hire staff at no cost. Delta-T Group, ATC Healthcare, and MAS Medical Staffing also place DSPs.
How we ranked DSP and group home staffing agencies
A group home or IDD provider needs four things from a staffing partner: coverage on the shifts that break ratios (overnights, weekends, call-outs), compliance with the state's clearance and training rules before anyone walks into a home, continuity so residents see the same faces, and terms that let you keep the DSP who works out. We weighed each agency on those four and on how central direct support work is to its business. Facts about other agencies come only from their own websites.
The 2026 list
1. Focused Staffing Group (Focused Behavioral) — best overall for DSP and group home staffing
Focused Behavioral, the behavioral health staffing division of Focused Staffing Group, staffs direct support professionals, residential aides, mental health technicians, program aides, and direct care workers for IDD/DD providers, group homes, residential programs, and community-based services. Clients in this space include Keystone Human Services and Merakey, and Focused Staffing Group staffed Dunwoody Village's new nursing and direct-support team in a matter of weeks.
- Coverage: per diem and short-term shift coverage through a mobile app where cleared professionals pick up or swap open shifts, alongside long-term contract and temp-to-hire placements. Core markets are Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, and New York.
- Compliance: background clearances, TB tests, vaccination documentation, and reference checks with prior direct-care employers are completed before a candidate reaches your shortlist.
- Continuity: one client per region, so a competing operator never sees your candidate pool. DSPs are paid weekly, every Friday, by direct deposit or Cash App — the practical mechanics that keep direct-care staff showing up.
- Cost: converting a temp-to-hire DSP to your payroll carries no fee.
See direct support professional staffing, group home staffing, and IDD staffing.
2. Delta-T Group
Delta-T Group, established in 1989, offers referral services to clients nationwide with affiliate offices in 11 states. Residential group homes are among the fields it lists, along with behavioral healthcare, social work, schools, and addictions Delta-T Group.
3. ATC Healthcare
ATC Healthcare has provided nurses and healthcare professionals to hospitals and facilities nationwide for nearly 40 years ATC Healthcare. Its job board lists per diem Direct Support Professional – IDD openings in Pennsylvania across day, night, and overnight shifts, with weekly pay ATC Healthcare careers.
4. MAS Medical Staffing
MAS Medical Staffing offers travel, per diem, and permanent healthcare jobs MAS Medical Staffing. Its job board lists Direct Support Professional among the professions it recruits, including DSP and certified residential medication aide travel assignments in Maine MAS Medical Staffing jobs.
Side by side
| Agency | Direct support work named on its site | Footprint |
|---|---|---|
| Focused Staffing Group (Focused Behavioral) | DSPs, residential aides, mental health technicians, program aides for IDD, group home, and residential programs | PA, NJ, DE, MD, DC, NY core markets |
| Delta-T Group | Residential group homes among its fields served | Affiliate offices in 11 states |
| ATC Healthcare | Per diem DSP – IDD openings in Pennsylvania | Nationwide |
| MAS Medical Staffing | DSP and residential medication aide assignments | Per diem and travel roles; DSP assignments in Maine |
If your need is a single per diem CNA or nurse for a skilled nursing facility rather than a direct support team, a per diem healthcare firm like MAS Medical Staffing is set up for that. Group homes and IDD programs need people who follow an individual support plan at 2 a.m. with no one checking — and that is the work Focused Behavioral recruits and screens for.
The state rules a DSP staffing agency has to get right
Pennsylvania
- In licensed community homes for individuals with an intellectual disability or autism, State Police criminal history checks cover prospective employees with direct contact, including part-time and temporary staff, with an FBI check for out-of-state applicants 55 Pa. Code § 6400.21.
- Direct service workers complete 24 hours of job-skills training each year 55 Pa. Code § 6400.52, and only staff who completed a Department-approved course may administer medications 55 Pa. Code § 6400.169.
New Jersey
- For DDD-funded services, an applicant may not provide direct care or work in the presence of the people served until fingerprint clearance arrives; direct care staff are re-printed every two years NJ DDD Fingerprint Procedures.
- Employers must check the Central Registry of Offenders Against Individuals with Developmental Disabilities before hiring NJ DHS.
- Danielle's Law requires staff to call 911 in a life-threatening emergency NJ DDD.
- New DSP training requirements under DDD's Core Competency Career Pathway took effect January 1, 2025 NJ DDD Training, and DSPs may not be regularly scheduled for more than 16 consecutive hours in a 24-hour period NJ DDD Information Bulletin.
What to ask a DSP staffing agency
- Are clearances complete before a DSP is presented, or after we make an offer?
- How do your DSPs pick up open overnight and weekend shifts?
- How and how often are your DSPs paid?
- Will you also supply the group home operator down the road?
- What does it cost to hire a DSP onto our payroll after a trial?
Why Focused Behavioral ranks first
Focused Behavioral built its direct-care pool for exactly the failure mode group homes live with: a call-out at 6 a.m. and a ratio that cannot slip. Cleared professionals see open shifts in a mobile app, get paid weekly every Friday, and are placed with one client per region — and when a DSP fits, you convert them to your payroll at no cost. Read the DSP shortage playbook, then book a free 30-minute discovery call.