A death raises questions about why a group home operator is still in business after Pa. revoked its owner’s license

by: Harold Brubaker

Article appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer      September 14, 2026

Inperium Inc. has been allowed to continue operating the nonprofit that serves people with intellectual and developmental disabilities while it appeals the license revocation.

Joey Shevenock suffered repeated urinary tract infections, kidney stones, partially amputated toes, and a broken hip during his last years living in a Reading-area group home for people with intellectual disabilities.

Then, on July 2, the 52-year-old with a history of swallowing difficulties choked and breathed in rice while he was being fed. That led to cardiac arrest. Shevenock died three days later at Reading Hospital.

The Shevenock family has hired a lawyer and plans to file a lawsuit claiming that negligence led to his death, which came 15 months after state regulators had revoked the license of the operator of his Exeter Township group home, Supportive Concepts for Families.

State law allows the nonprofit owned by Inperium Inc. to continue operating while it appeals the revocation, which followed at least four deaths, 11 abuse incidents, and dozens of cases of neglect at Supportive Concepts’ homes in the year ended February 2025.

The license revocation covered 103 of its group homes across northeastern Pennsylvania, including those in Berks County.

Joey Shevenock’s brother, Jeff, questions why state law gives Supportive Concepts so much time.

“I’m a chef, and they’ll shut a restaurant down for X, Y, or Z, and they don’t let you reopen until you correct whatever the violations are,” he said.

“It just blows me away that they know this is going on, but they’re like, well, we’re going to give you six months, a year, whatever, to work on it,” he said.

Supportive Concepts CEO Colleen Miller declined to comment, citing privacy laws. “We remain committed to the health, safety, and well-being of the individuals we serve,” she said in an email Wednesday.

Inperium did not respond to questions about the license revocation.

Homes like the one where Joey Shevenock lived for more than 20 years are regulated by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, which said it “cannot comment on specific incidents or investigations, and we cannot comment on pending appeals.”

Like many states, Pennsylvania gives operators time to correct deficiencies, with no set timeline on how long an appeal can go on. “It’s not unusual to allow them to continue operating,” said Mark Davis, CEO of Pennsylvania Advocates and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disabilities, a Harrisburg trade association for service providers.

During appeals, providers are subject to more frequent, unannounced inspections.

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