Caring Solutions

What Caring Solutions does

Caring Solutions is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, founded in 2001 by Madeleine Hawn (originally as Services by Design, Inc.). The organization delivers individualized, person-centered support services to children and adults with developmental disabilities, operating across home and living arrangements (own home, family home, Individualized Supported Living homes, and host arrangements), daily living support, community and vocational services, and specialized respite care. Its flagship differentiated offering is Valentine Place, opened in 2017 and described as the first therapeutic respite home of its kind in Missouri, providing 30-90 day crisis stabilization for individuals with co-occurring developmental and behavioral challenges.

The organization has no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is conducted by trained direct-care staff in homes, community settings, and the Valentine Place facility. Operational scope covers St. Louis and surrounding counties in Missouri, with a satellite office in Franklin County (Union, MO). Caring Solutions employs 251-500 staff organized across program operations, behavior services, development/fundraising, quality, accounting, human resources, nursing, intake and transitions, and administration, led by Executive Director Shannan French.

Revenue is generated primarily through Missouri Department of Mental Health Purchase of Service contracts and Medicaid Waiver contracts, supplemented by individual donations and fundraising events such as the Candy Land Ball, Music Bingo nights, and an annual Golf Tournament. The organization holds the GuideStar Gold Transparency Seal and operates as a 501(c)3 nonprofit under volunteer board governance. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; individuals and families access services through government-funded programs rather than direct out-of-pocket payment.

Name

Caring Solutions

Legal name

Caring Solutions

Website

https://caringsolutions.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Caring Solutions is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides individualized behavioral, daily living, vocational, residential, and respite services to children and adults with developmental disabilities across the Greater St. Louis area, funded primarily through Missouri DMH and Medicaid Waiver contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Support Services

NAICS

Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (623210), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGALAM

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

Keywords

• Developmental disability services
• Behavioral support services
• Vocational training programs
• Therapeutic respite care
• Community living support

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts: Most of the organization's funding comes from the Missouri Department of Mental Health's Purchase of Service and Medicaid Waiver contracts, which provide ongoing programmatic funding for disability services.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization relies on generous donors who believe in the mission. Donations can be made as one-time gifts, monthly support, or in honor/memory of individuals. The organization also hosts fundraising events such as the Candy Land Ball and Golf Tournament.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Caring Solutions delivers person-centered disability support services for children and adults with developmental disabilities in the Greater St. Louis area. Its core offerings span individualized care planning, multiple home and living arrangements (own home, family home, Individualized Supported Living homes, and host families), daily living assistance, community and vocational training, and specialized 30-90 day therapeutic respite through Valentine Place, the first therapeutic respite home of its kind in Missouri for individuals with both developmental and behavioral challenges.

Product overview

Caring Solutions offers a comprehensive suite of personalized support services for people with developmental disabilities, organized around individualized care rather than standardized programs. The organization provides multiple service lines that work together: Home and Living Options (including ISL homes and host living arrangements), Daily Living Support, Community and Vocational Services, and Respite Care. The flagship specialized offering is Valentine Place, a therapeutic respite home that is the first of its kind in Missouri, serving individuals with both developmental and behavioral challenges. Services are available throughout St. Louis and surrounding counties, with 24/7 care options for those needing continuous support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individualized Care Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Valentine Place provides critical respite care for individuals experiencing crisis, helping them stabilize behaviors and build routines, often returning home or transitioning to more independent living settings within 30-90 days

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Missouri Department of Mental HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government funding partner providing Purchase of Service and Medicaid Waiver contracts that fund the majority of Caring Solutions' programs and services for individuals with developmental disabilities.
• Developmental Disabilities Resource Board (DDRB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey regional partner supporting disability services in the St. Louis area, providing funding and resources for program development and community support services.
• Home Sweet Home STLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner working together to connect individuals and families with the housing and support services they need, expanding the network of support available to those served.
• St. Louis Coalition of Service ProviderssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMembership organization through which Caring Solutions joins others in advocating for stronger disability services across the St. Louis region and beyond.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• St. Louis Arc: The St. Louis Arc is a long-standing Greater St. Louis nonprofit serving children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through advocacy, residential supports, and community living programs — directly comparable in geography, population served, and service model.
• Emmaus Homes: Emmaus Homes operates residential and community-based programs for adults with developmental disabilities throughout the St. Louis region and central Missouri, making it a directly comparable peer in mission, residential service model, and Missouri footprint.
• Easterseals Midwest: Easterseals Midwest provides disability and behavioral health services across Missouri, including residential, day, and in-home supports for individuals with developmental disabilities — directly comparable in service mix, mission, and Missouri geographic footprint.
• REM Missouri: REM Missouri provides residential, day, and supported living services to individuals with developmental disabilities across Missouri — directly comparable in service model, population, and Medicaid-funded operating model.

Regional players

• Aging Ahead: Aging Ahead is a St. Louis-area nonprofit providing aging and disability support services, including care coordination and in-home supports — a regional peer sharing part of the St. Louis disability services ecosystem and overlapping on HCBS-style programming.

Broad incumbents

• BrightSpring Health Services: BrightSpring is a national, publicly traded provider of home and community-based services, including IDD waiver services, behavioral health, and pharmacy — a much larger incumbent that competes for Medicaid waiver clients and talent across Caring Solutions' service categories.
• Sevita Health (formerly The MENTOR Network): Sevita is one of the largest national providers of home and community-based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, offering host home, ICF, and day programs across multiple states — a large incumbent directly competing for IDD waiver contracts.
• Easterseals Disability Services (national): The national Easterseals network delivers disability and behavioral health services across the U.S., including IDD-specific programs — a broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities in person-centered disability services.

Emerging players

• Ability Beyond: Ability Beyond provides residential, vocational, and community-based supports for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, primarily in the Northeast — an adjacent peer with strong service-line overlap in supported living, day, and employment programs.
• Imagine! (Boulder, CO): Imagine! delivers residential, day, and behavioral supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Colorado — a regionally focused peer with strong overlap in person-centered residential and community programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/caringstl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CaringSolutionsStLouis
• Facebookfacebook.com/CaringSolutionsSTL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caring-solutions
• Instagraminstagram.com/caringsolutionsstl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Caring Solutions