Correspondent photo / Joshua Robison The nonprofit Dylan’s House hosted an event at the Youngstown Goodwill Industries Office on Belmont Avenue in Liberty recognizing the work of caregivers in the Mahoning Valley. One of the recipients talks about what the grant, and her profession, mean to her. Flanking her are co-founders Kevin and Amy Shaope.

LIBERTY — Dylan’s House, a nonprofit founded in 2022 to assist individuals on the autism spectrum and their families in finding accessible opportunities for housing, education and professional caregiver services, presented $500 caregiver grants to 10 caretakers for their work with clients in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

Dylan’s House has given away more than $20,000 since the Professional Caregiver Grant program began. The event took place at the Youngstown Area Goodwill Industries Office on Belmont Avenue. The two nonprofits announced a new partnership in September.

Those receiving grants were Casey Doughty, Cameron Gump, Tahnee Hall, Janice Hill Wright, Nalena Page, John Plesac, Gretchen Rupert, Tania Simms, Rhea Wade and Jodi Yencik. It also was revealed at the event that 88% of disability service providers have staffing shortages, making the grant program even more vital as an incentive for caregivers to stay in their profession.

“Giving these mini grants to these caregivers will encourage them to stay in this profession,” Kevin Shope said. “Often, you know, we’re told these grants are being used to make sure caregivers just have reliable transportation to get to their jobs, so we think it’s important.”

Not only is the monetary aspect of the grant important to caregivers, but the recognition the grant gives to its recipients is just as important.

“Having caregivers come here, being recognized in front of their coworkers, families, friends and then we’re also able to utilize this recognition to hopefully spread the word to other individuals who might be out there that might be interested in this type of career,” Kevin Shope said.

Since Shope’s son, Dylan, was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3, the Shope family has experienced firsthand the struggles of finding consistent care.

“It was always a challenge with (Dylan) and can still be a challenge sometimes of having consistent caregiver, support and also with autistic individuals. They’re very often about having the same routine and consistency, so it’s not only having enough caregivers, but once individuals choose this profession, it’s keeping them in the profession,” Kevin Shope said.

The professional caregiver grant is awarded every six months and nominees are selected in a blind review process by a committee not associated with Dylan’s House.

John Plesac said he was surprised to hear he was receiving the grant.

“It’s a shock,” Plesac said. “I just come in and do my job and try to work with the clients as best I can.”

Tania Simms said her passion for her job and her client is what led to her nomination.

“I think my passion is what really led my client to nominating me for this award,” Simms said. “My drive to want to make my clients’ life better and everyone around me as well too.”

Simms also said receiving this grant drives her to work even hard and inspires her to help more people. “Recognizing that I’m a caring person and that I’m an individual that goes above and beyond for other individuals…that makes me want to go just a little bit more,” Simms said.

Plesac agreed.

“The people we work with are fantastic,” Plesac said. “They deserve the best support (and) the best help you can give them. I think that’s going to make me want to strive to work harder for it.”