When Community Becomes the Solution: Helping People with Significant Behavioral Challenges Thrive

For many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), finding the right place to live and receive support can be life-changing. For individuals who also experience significant behavioral challenges, finding the right support can sometimes feel nearly impossible.

For years, many people with IDD and significant behavioral needs had very few options. A behavioral crisis could result in a trip to the emergency room, a psychiatric hospital stay, or even involvement with the criminal justice system. These settings were never designed to provide the specialized, long-term support these individuals needed.

Missouri recognized this growing need and began investing in a different approach—one that focuses on helping people with significant behavioral challenges live successfully in their own communities.

In July 2024, The Arc of the Ozarks was one of a small number of providers in Missouri selected to provide these specialized crisis services. We started in Springfield and, because of the early success of the program, expanded to our St. Charles location in January 2025.

And what we have seen since then has been incredibly encouraging.

A Different Kind of Crisis Response

The goal of the crisis residential model isn’t simply to provide someone with a place to live during a difficult period. It is about helping people develop the skills and supports they need to build a more independent life.

Before these programs were available, someone with IDD who displayed unsafe or challenging behavior might end up in a psychiatric hospital or nursing facility. Others could find themselves in the emergency room or even jail.

Unfortunately, those environments often don’t address the underlying needs of someone with an intellectual or developmental disability.

The crisis residential model offers something different: a home in the community, a team of people who understand the individual’s needs, and a plan to help that person move forward.

At The Arc, we have welcomed nearly 20 individuals into our crisis services over the past few years. Many came to us after experiencing repeated hospitalizations, involvement with law enforcement, or long periods in restrictive settings.

Our goal is to help them move beyond those circumstances—not simply manage them.

Success Looks Different for Everyone

One of the most rewarding parts of this work is seeing how much can change when someone has the right environment and the right supports.

For some of the people we serve, success means being able to go grocery shopping without an incident.

For someone else, it might mean going to the bank, getting a job, spending time in the community, or simply having more freedom in their daily routine.

For others, success means needing fewer staff members around them throughout the day.

These may seem like small things to some people. But for an individual who has spent years in highly structured or restrictive environments, these accomplishments can represent tremendous progress.

Our Springfield clients have now been in the program for more than a year, and every one of them has experienced a decrease in their level of supervision. They are also participating more frequently in their communities.

In St. Charles, we have seen similar progress. Several individuals have been able to transition from crisis residential services into Individualized Supported Living (ISL) homes, where they can live with less structure and fewer supports because of the progress they have made.

That’s what success looks like.

The People Behind the Progress

A big part of that success comes from the team supporting each individual.

Board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) develop individualized strategies based on each person’s needs. Registered behavior technicians (RBTs) help put those strategies into practice, monitor progress, collect data, and work directly with individuals to build important life skills.

And those skills go far beyond behavior.

RBTs might work with someone on grocery shopping, managing money, navigating the community, or learning how to participate in activities they previously could not safely enjoy.

Then there are the crisis technicians—the staff members who are with individuals every day. They provide the day-to-day support, build relationships, and help put the behavioral strategies into practice.

None of this works in isolation.

The real strength of the model comes from the communication and relationships between the entire team: the crisis technicians, RBTs, BCBAs, directors, and the individuals themselves.

When everyone understands the goals and communicates regularly about what is working—and what isn’t—the team can make changes quickly and continue moving forward.

Changing What Is Possible

Perhaps the most important lesson we have learned is that significant behavioral challenges do not have to mean a life in a restrictive setting.

With the right support, people who have spent time in psychiatric hospitals, correctional settings, or other highly structured environments can return to their communities and thrive.

They can learn new skills.

They can build relationships.

They can participate in their communities.

They can work.

And they can gain greater independence.

The results we have seen through The Arc’s crisis programs have exceeded our expectations. Individuals who once had very few options are now living in homes in their communities, participating in activities, gaining skills, and requiring less support.

That is why this model matters.

It isn’t just about responding to a crisis. It’s about changing what happens after the crisis—and helping people build a life beyond it.

Missouri’s investment in community-based crisis services has opened a door that didn’t exist for many people before. At The Arc of the Ozarks, we are proud to be part of that effort and to demonstrate what is possible when people are given the opportunity, support, and environment they need to succeed.

Because everyone deserves a place to call home, a chance to be part of their community, and the opportunity to live as independently as possible.