Missoula Developmental Service Corporation

In 1987, Montana State legislators took the first steps toward integrating institutionalized people with developmental disabilities into communities. The legislation they passed created the concept of a nonprofit organization managing the human services support and carrying the fiduciary responsibility for adults with developmental disabilities placed in group residences as part of a broader urban community social movement. The city that bid for and won the practical application of such funding appropriation from the State for this innovative approach to caring for and nurturing folks with severe developmental disabilities was Missoula. The organization it established in 1989 was the Missoula Developmental Service Corporation a private fee-for-service nonprofit entity guided by a volunteer Board of Directors. By October 1990, three homes were ready to open their doors to the first 20 people coming from institutions where many of them had literally grown up. The organization now supports over 75 adults living in 12 homes and manages two day activity centers for a total of 25,000 sq ft. Additionally, for 15 years we have offered clients with critical physical conditions requiring emergency assistance and/or treatment, a unique nurse-managed residence with 24-hour on-site medical support.