How Better Together Supports Is Changing Lives — A Conversation with David Neely

Welcome to this week's episode of What's Happening Salem!

In this episode, Jacob sits down with David Neely, founder of Better Together Supports — a Salem-based in-home care agency serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities — for a wide-ranging conversation about community, purpose, and what it really means to show up for others.

In this episode, they discuss:

• The personal journey that led David from growing up alongside foster kids and juvenile hall students to founding his own IDD care agency
• What it's truly like to work as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) — and why the community is far more joyful and resilient than most people expect
• The national DSP shortage crisis and what it means for Oregon families waiting for care
• How faith, family, and a friend's unexpected generosity gave Better Together Supports its start
• The value of healthy competition in the care industry — and how raising the bar benefits everyone
• Building a business rooted in community, not ego — and why David refuses to leave Oregon even when it gets hard
• Reflections on hip-hop, aging, relevance, and what artists like André 3000 can teach us about purpose
• The origins of What's Happening Salem and how music, journalism, and a passion for community came together

Timestamps:

• 00:00 – Hydration, Coke Zero, and the food industry's engineering of addiction
• 06:20 – Kids, parenting, Lord of the Rings, and the joy of reading
• 18:03 – Introduction to Better Together Supports and the IDD community
• 19:08 – David's origin story: growing up with foster kids and special ed classrooms
• 22:00 – What draws people to DSP work — and what keeps them there
• 24:00 – The "It Takes a Village" philosophy behind Better Together Supports
• 30:00 – Navigating language, inclusion, and the fear of saying the wrong thing
• 33:40 – Starting the agency: an MBA, a leap of faith, and a friend who believed first
• 37:00 – Why David is committed to staying in Oregon no matter the business climate
• 42:00 – Hip-hop, André 3000, and finding relevance as you age
• 45:30 – Old friendships, Salem's music scene, and the road to What's Happening Salem
• 59:25 – How What's Happening Salem grew from music events to a 40,000-follower media brand
• 1:01:30 – Expanding the model: What's Happening Media and teaching others to build community