Who We Are

Community Living Alternatives is dedicated to our mission of enhancing the quality of life for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The individuals we support succeed with the commitment, dedication, and skill of staff who provide daily assistance, skill building, and support at home or in the community. CLA’s Direct Support Professionals are hired, trained, and retained in a team environment that promotes the intrinsic value of each person, and where supports are delivered with compassion, flexibility and commitment.

The DSP provides direct support and companionship to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a residential home setting and in the community to enable the individuals supported to pursue their life ambitions and goals. Each person supported has a Person Centered Individual Services Plan (PCP-ISP) tailored to his or her needs. The DSP supports the individual to achieve and document the outcomes of the service plan. The areas supported are routine assistance (personal hygiene and wellness, housekeeping of the home, preparing meals, medication administration, etc.); skill building activities in areas such as communication, socialization, appropriate use of leisure time, shopping and money management, use of community resources, safety supports as needed, and supports in other activities of the person’s interest and choice.

QUALIFICATIONS
- You MUST have High School Diploma or Equivalent Required; Associate’s Degree in Human Services or related field or equivalent experience preferred.
- Clear background and clean driving record is mandatory.

- Support adults with intellectual disabilities in the development and implementation of an individualized service plan that is person centered and enhances their quality of life.
- Instruct and guide residents in completion of daily living tasks; cleaning and household chores, planning and accessing leisure activities; and making healthy choices for health, nutrition and safety.
- Ensure the health and safety of residents, administering medications as needed and transporting to appointments.
- Document individuals’ progress through written progress notes.
- Maintain all records in compliance with Policies, State Licensing, Medicaid, and other pertinent standards.
- Transport the individuals in own vehicle, as necessary.
- Identify and respond to emergencies and crises.
- Participate in support team meetings.
- Report maintenance and repair issues.
- Ensure interior and exterior routine cleaning and maintenance are completed.
- Maintain smoke detectors, evacuation route signs, emergency lights and all other safety equipment required by law; conduct and document regular safety drills.
- Maintain required trainings (see “Required Training” tab).
- Other duties as defined in position description or required by supervisors.

All working hours are based on the needs of the individual supported.

In general, we have:
- Full-time openings (30 or more scheduled hours per week working afternoon, evening or awake overnight). $17 an hour + $1 an hour weekend shift differential.
- Part-time openings (fewer than 30 scheduled hours per week, various shifts including weekends). $17 an hour + $1 an hour weekend shift differential.
- Relief work (no guaranteed number of hours and is on-call for work when regularly scheduled employees cannot report for work for any reason). $16 an hour + $1 an hour weekend shift differential.
-Associate DSP for those staff who may not have a clean driving record or meet other criteria, $16 an hour + $1 an hour weekend shift differential.

The following benefits are available to eligible CLA employees:
- Auto Mileage Reimbursement
- Bereavement Leave
- Credit Union Membership
- Deferred Compensation (403) (b)
- Dental , AD&D, & Life insurance
- Health insurance https://select.kaiserpermanente.org/community-living-alternatives and Flexible Spending Plan
- Holidays, Vacation, and Sick leave.
-CLA is a qualified employer for the The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program.
Plus: a range of voluntary, employee owned supplemental insurance options.

Use the following link to access our online portal to search and apply for positions:

Community Living Alternatives Corporation Jobs (appone.com)

Candidates with a clean driving record, at least 3 years of driving experience, and a clear background, can also e-mail or fax their resume and current driving record (covering the past 5 years or standard reporting period for home jurisdiction) to clahr@cla-va.org or (703) 352-4906 to the attention of Human Resources.

Employment with CLA is conditional upon completion of all required training within the designated number of days from hire date, and maintaining renewals as required by regulations. (Download PDF with table below)

To schedule training and for further information, contact the Training Coordinator at 703-352-0388, x221. CLA also participates in the Northern Virginia Training Coalition, which offers many of the required trainings.

CLA is an equal employment opportunity employer. We adhere to a policy of making employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age or disability. We assure you that your opportunity for employment with CLA depends solely on your qualifications.

Click here to download the PDF showing required trainings for each position type.

Thank you for your interest in joining the CLA Team! Please go to the “How To Apply” tab to the left of the page and click on the available link to our online portal for a listing of current openings and to apply. Thank you!

Community Living Alternatives is an equal employment opportunity employer. We adhere to a policy of making employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, gender (except where sex is a bonafide occupational qualification), sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, military status, citizenship, age or disability. We assure you that your opportunity for employment with CLA depends solely on your qualifications.