Blog Posts

Missouri’s disability services system—anchored by the Department of Mental Health—grows strongest when advocacy is not a separate task but the natural fabric of daily care. It moves us from compliance to compassion, from checklists to connection.

The r3 Summit and r3 Conference are more than events. They are reminders of WHY Restoring Hope exists. They celebrate the caregivers, team members, and partners who choose—every day—to show up for others. And they reflect the mission that continues to guide us forward: Reach. Restore. Repeat.

In Missouri’s disability services landscape, the answer lies in relationship-based care—a model that values trust over turnover, partnership over transactions, and long-term stability over short-term fixes.

DSPs are essential to Missouri’s disability services system—and to the well-being of the communities they serve.

Across Missouri, Host Home and Relief Home caregivers play a critical role in supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As caregivers open their homes—or provide short-term support—they often find themselves navigating Missouri’s disability service system from a unique perspective: not as parents or guardians, but as trusted providers of daily care, stability, and relationship. The Unique Role of Host and Relief Home Caregivers Host Home and Rel

July 30th marks World Day against Human Trafficking. This heinous crime affects people of all ages, and in particular, "runaways, childhood trauma survivors, foster children, and disabled people" who "make up 70% of the perceived risk of sex trafficking for social groups," according to Ryan Pace, Missouri State Highway Patrol and Director of School Safety at Branson R-IV. And of that 70%, many fall directly into the group of people we serve and care for, meaning they are at a