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Since 2005, Hopebridge Autism Therapy Centers have been improving the quality of life for thousands of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. Hopebridge partnered with Rain to offer Earned Wage Access (EWA) as a critical benefit to enhance employee financial wellness and improve the retention of skilled frontline employees.
With 113 locations across 10 states, Hopebridge is dedicated to delivering life-changing care for individuals with autism and special needs. This commitment to care relies on a dedicated team of skilled and compassionate professionals. However, the nature of the work, which demands significant patience and emotional resilience, often leads to compassion fatigue, contributing to higher turnover rates. Additionally, intense hiring competition from retail employers offering attractive perks made it difficult to retain experienced therapists. Recognizing the urgency of these issues, Hopebridge needed meaningful solutions to better support its team’s financial and emotional well-being, ensure continuity in care and reduce turnover.
As the needs of Hopebridge’s workforce evolved, the company prioritized benefits that enhanced employee well-being while supporting its commitment to delivering quality care. Financial flexibility quickly emerged as a top priority, making earned wage access a compelling solution. The ability to offer instant wage transfers was especially important to the organization. While recognizing the capabilities of its existing Paylocity HCM systems, Hopebridge sought a specialized solution that offered maximum flexibility for employees.
After thoroughly evaluating several providers, Rain stood out as the ideal choice. Rain’s solution aligned with Hopebridge’s objectives, providing instant wage access, integrating effortlessly with Paylocity without requiring changes to Direct Deposit Accounts (DDA), and reducing administrative workload.
Importantly, Rain’s solution was offered at no cost to the company. The app’s intuitive design also resonated with Hopebridge’s predominantly millennial and Gen Z workforce, making it a perfect fit.
Why Rain?
Hopebridge successfully introduced Rain’s EWA solution through a well-coordinated, phased approach focused on clear communication, change management and employee engagement. Heather Grant, Hopebridge’s Director of Total Rewards, and Ali Thomas, VP of Talent and Development, collaborated to introduce the program to the workforce.
Implementation
Hopebridge’s implementation of Rain’s EWA solution was smooth and collaborative. Grant emphasized the strong customer service focus, noting that Rain was a “knowledgeable partner and as excited to work with us as we were to work with them.”
Change management process
Thomas highlighted the importance of clear communication from a change management perspective across the large organization. Rain’s team adapted to Hopebridge’s pace and specific needs. “Rain was happy to go as fast as we wanted but really met our speed,” Thomas said, supporting Hopebridge’s phased approach.
Phased rollout
The phased rollout, starting with executive leaders, regional teams and, finally, individual employees, allowed for a smooth onboarding process. Grant noted, “It took some time for planning, but when we went live, it was easy, and the team was thrilled.” The approach allowed each group to fully understand and embrace the new benefit, leading to high utilization rates.
Marketing
Hopebridge launched a “Make it Rain” themed rollout to drive engagement. This included webinars with themed music and the incorporation of Rain’s EWA benefit into onboarding, benefit guides and total rewards documentation. Grant shared, “We’ve been very diligent about communicating about Rain, and it’s really helped drive engagement.”
“Rain is not just for hourly or entry-level staff. We have people using it at every level.”
—Ali Thomas, VP Talent and Development
Hopebridge’s workforce has embraced Rain’s EWA solution, which has yielded impressive results and improved employee well-being and organizational performance. Thomas shared how Rain directly reduced financial stress. “Some of our teams have said, ‘Payday is on the 17th, but my rent is due on the 15th, and now I don’t have that stress anymore.’”
Thomas noted, “When you see our utilization percentage, you see that we reap the rewards of this (phased rollout). If you ask an employee, they know this benefit exists, they’re excited about it, and we’ve got people using it in a real way.” Rain’s rollout success has since set a benchmark for other initiatives at Hopebridge.
“Knowing Rain partners directly with Paylocity gives us extra confidence that the systems we rely on every day work smoothly together,” said Grant. “While our decision to partner with Rain was about employee financial health first, the Paylocity integration has been a real added benefit.”
“If you ask an employee, they know this benefit exists, they’re excited about it, and we’ve got people using it in a real way.”
—Ali Thomas, VP Talent and Development
The value of adding EWA
Thomas shared that while Rain was initially aimed at hourly frontline employees, salaried leaders at every level of the organization now use the benefit. “Rain is not just for hourly or entry-level staff. We have people using it at every level,” she explained, noting that even organizational leaders use Rain for personal financial management.
“Some folks have joined our team because they know this benefit exists,” Thomas added, highlighting how Rain helps new employees bridge the gap between paydays when transitioning from other jobs.
The partnership between Hopebridge and Rain demonstrates how innovative employee benefits can address critical challenges in specialized health care. Hopebridge has increased employee retention and improved workforce financial well-being by implementing Rain’s EWA solution. This collaboration has strengthened Hopebridge’s position as a leader in autism therapy, as its skilled professionals remain committed to their crucial roles.
© 2026 Rain Technologies Inc.
