PALS

What PALS does

PALS Inc. is a privately held, California-based professional caregiver agency that supports adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including individuals with trauma histories, socio-emotional difficulties, and substantial behavioral deficits. The company serves participants across Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties from its headquarters in Bellflower, California. Its integrated service portfolio comprises four lines: Day Services (vocational and job training, life skills, recreational activities), developing Residential Services (IDD group homes for 24/7 support), Transportation Assistance (including wheelchair-accessible vehicles with hydraulic lifts), and State of California-certified Person-Centered Planning and Self Determination Services.

PALS operates a managed-services business model funded almost entirely through government authorizations. Intake is referral-driven: participants are referred by social workers or approach PALS directly, and services are authorized and paid for by Regional Centers, County Agencies, or School Districts. The company is certified by the State of California as a person-centered services provider, which is the regulatory credential required to bill these public payors. PALS carries no disclosed proprietary technology platform, no mobile application, and no public integrations; service delivery is human-led by dedicated staff working one-on-one with participants. Marketing is limited to a website, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn presence.

The addressable market is the California IDD services sector, structured around state-funded programs administered through 21 Regional Centers and county-level agencies. PALS competes with other community-based day service providers and group home operators, differentiating on its behavioral-specialization positioning and bundled offering. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no public ticker.

Name

PALS

Legal name

PALS Inc.

Website

https://palsworks.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

PALS Inc. is a California-based caregiver agency providing day, residential, transportation, and person-centered planning services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Los Angeles Counties, funded through Regional Centers, County Agencies, and School Districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government-funded disability services: PALS receives authorization to provide services through the Regional Center, County Agencies, or School Districts. The authorizing agency provides payment directly to PALS. This represents a contracted service model funded by government programs for developmental disability services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PALS Inc. is a professional caregiver agency providing day services, residential services, transportation assistance, and person-centered planning for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in California. The agency specializes in serving individuals with histories of trauma, behavioral deficits and excesses, and socio-emotional difficulties, delivering vocational training, life skills development, and 24/7 support funded through Regional Centers, County Agencies, and School Districts.

Product overview

PALS Inc. is a progressive adult day services agency offering a unified suite of four integrated services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The core portfolio includes Day Services (behavioral support and vocational training), IDD Group Homes for residential care, Transportation Assistance with wheelchair-accessible vehicles, and Person-Centered Planning Services certified by the State of California. These services work together holistically to support individuals with mild to profound intellectual disabilities, including those with histories of trauma and challenging behaviors, toward greater work opportunities, community access, and independent living skills.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Day Services Specialized day program for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who have a history of behavioral deficits and excesses. Delivered at PALS facilities with one-on-one staff support, focused on vocational training, job training skills, recreational activities, and other life skills tailored to person-centered needs.
• Residential Services (IDD Group Homes) Group home residential setting for adults with intellectual disabilities who may also have a history of substantial behavioral deficits and excesses. Provides 24/7 support, complementing PALS's day services to deliver combined day and residential care for high-need IDD adults.
• Transportation Assistance Door-to-door transportation for program participants using modern, comfortable agency vehicles, including vans equipped with hydraulic lifts for wheelchair users. Funded through the authorizing agency, with pickup at the participant's home and drop-off at the end of the service day.
• Person-Centered Planning and Self-Determination Services State of California-certified person-centered services that place the adult with IDD at the center of service planning, focusing on each individual's unique goals, needs, and preferences to support greater independence and self-determination.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Department of Developmental Services (California)coreOthersState agency that funds and authorizes services for individuals with developmental disabilities. PALS is mentioned in connection with this agency as a resource for additional advocacy and compliance.
• Regional CenterscoreOthersRegional Centers authorize and fund services provided by PALS. These are the primary funding sources that pay PALS directly for services rendered to individuals with developmental disabilities.
• County AgenciescoreOthersCounty-level agencies that authorize and fund disability services. Services are authorized through these agencies and payment is provided directly to PALS.
• School DistrictscoreOthersSchool Districts that may authorize and fund services for eligible individuals transitioning from or participating in educational programs.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Sevita Health (formerly The MENTOR Network): Large national provider of IDD and behavioral health services operating day programs, residential/group home services, and person-centered planning across California. Closest direct comparable to PALS in service mix, payer relationships, and target population.
• California MENTOR (Sevita California operations): California operations of Sevita providing day, residential, and supported employment services for adults with IDD. Direct head-to-head competitor for Regional Center authorizations across California.

Broad incumbents

• BrightSpring Health Services: Diversified home- and community-based services platform with a sizable IDD/behavioral health segment including day programs and residential services. Competitor for Regional Center contracts and a likely acquirer of smaller California IDD providers.
• Help at Home: Large provider of personal care and IDD services across multiple states, including community-based day and residential supports funded through Medicaid waivers. Comparable business model with greater geographic scale and capital access.
• Bayada Home Health Care: Large home-health and adult-services provider with a growing IDD/personal-care segment serving Medicaid-funded populations. Overlaps with PALS on in-home and community-based supports, though with broader service scope.

Regional players

• The Arc of California: California state chapter of The Arc, providing advocacy, day programs, and supported employment services to people with IDD. Overlaps with PALS's person-centered planning and vocational training offerings within the same state.
• Easterseals Southern California: Regional nonprofit providing adult day services, vocational programs, and residential supports for adults with developmental disabilities across Southern California. Direct geographic overlap with PALS in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.
• United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of California: Disability services organization providing residential, day program, and supported employment services to adults with cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities. Comparable IDD service mix with similar government payer model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@palsinc6434/featured
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pals-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/pals.inc_dayprogram

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PALS