Our history demonstrates steady and continuing progress toward our mission to meet the needs of people with developmental disabilities.  Our flagship program is the Outward Bound Group Home that opened in 1980 championed by parent leadership through ARC of Cowlitz County. Within 3 years, we established our own non-profit status as Residential Resources Association and began our expansion from 8 clients to the more than 100 we serve today.

Since 1980, we have developed a variety of options in scattered sites throughout the community.  Sometimes driven by state leadership and other times in response to urgent community need, our residents live in homes and apartments where they receive in-home support and assistance depending on their developmental ability.

In addition to the residences we have created, the new millennium brought a new part of our organization: AmeriCorps. We now manage the Cowlitz AmeriCorps network both to help reach our goals and to improve the community as a whole.

Over the years we have worked to achieve our Mission Statement, “To provide positive support to people with developmental disabilities and their families to live successfully in this community; experiencing dignity, respect and fulfillment while moving toward their life goals.” Residential Resources’ clients hold down jobs in the community, participate in the Special Olympics, interact socially in our community with dances and social clubs, fulfill lifelong dreams of traveling and have even taken cruises, gone camping and attended family reunions. Residential Resources has come a long way since that first meeting in 1980 and will continue to grow and strive for excellence in our dedication to the clients and the community we serve.

As of January 2009, the Adult Developmental Center (ADC) became a program of Residential Resources.  ADC provides people with disabilities the opportunity to find meaningful employment, and helps employers find the right person for their jobs.  ADC is joining with others to help change lives, one job at a time.  Their website is located at http://www.adcpathways.org./