OUR HISTORY

     Prior to the formation of Ray County Board of Services and sometime in the late 1970’s, a group of parents of children with developmental disabilities got together to establish a sheltered workshop in Ray County. That group secured a matching grant from the (now) Missouri Developmental Disability Council. With funding secured, that group of likeminded people formed a 501C3, not-for-profit, and Ideal Industries, Inc. was founded.  A founding Board was established and funding to operate the program was secured from the Missouri Department of Education and Secondary Education (DESE). This funding was titled as “state aid”.  

         Sometime in the early 1980’s, this same group of people began the effort to bring the Senate Bill 40 Tax Levy funding to Ray County. That group developed a ballot initiative and solicited Ray County voters for passage. This funding would allow for maintaining a sheltered workshop (as one was currently established), residence facilities (housing) and related services.  

     On Tuesday August 7th, 1984, Ray County Missouri held a special election to establish and maintain a sheltered workshop and residence facility for handicapped persons and for which the county shall levy a tax of $0.20 per 100 dollars.

The levy proposal which required a simple majority to pass received 2,787 “yes” to its 1,924 “no” votes in the county and carried in all but 2 of the 20 precincts.  The levy carried in all 4 wards within the city of Richmond. 

     This levy established the Senate Bill 40 Board, formally known as Ray County Board of Services for the Developmentally Disabled. Information related to the SB40 statues may be found in Revised Statutes of Missouri (RSMO) 205.968 to 205.973. Those statutes have been revised numerous times since 1984. 

     Board members immediately put that levy funding to use by securing transportation to and from the workshop. A short time later, the Board purchased the implement dealer property located at 601 N. Thornton, Richmond, MO. Ideal Industries moved into the property (and has remained ever since).

     In the early 1990’s, the Board began to explore residential housing through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). After securing a HUD PRAC 811 agreement, a 501C3 not-for-profit was formed and in 1995, Ideal Apartments Housing Corporation was created. A 16-unit facilitate with a “commons” building was built that provides one-bedroom apartments in a semi-independent living environment. Ideal Apartments Is owner-operated by the RCBS Board.  In 2005, RCBS entered into another HUD agreement and Southview Apartments became a reality. 

     Along with residential housing, the Board saw a need for “services” for persons residing at the apartments. Shortly after opening, the Board entered into an agreement with the Missouri Department of Mental Health (DMH) to provide services. These services generate revenue through a combination of Federal Medicaid Waiver dollars and State matching funds. The company established to provide services was first named Ray County Residential Services (RCRS). The first director was Steve Lillard. At some point, the Board decided to allow Steve to take RCRS to a for-profit status. RCRS became Ray County Community Services (RCCS) in 2001 or 2002. 

     In early 2007, the Board decided to add Targeted Case Management (TCM) as another department. RCBS entered into an agreement with DMH to provide “case management” for the citizens of Ray County.  As services continued to expand, the Board decided to begin providing services and supports in Individual Supported Living (ISL) arrangements. Traditional ISLs consist of usually 2 or 3 housemates receiving services that allow them to live in a natural community setting. 

     2012 also saw the Board enter into an agreement with DMH for the Partnership for Hope waiver. This waiver allowed for the County boards to provide a “match” for waiver funding. The match is approximately 60% Federal, 20% State and 20% County funding. This allowed for individuals access to services such as transportation funding. This allowed the County to fund 0.20 on a $1.00 worth of services. 

     The next few years would see DMH begin a federally mandated “conflict-free” case management rule. During this time, RCBS deliberated which department they would continue to provide: DD services or TCM. In 2016, the Board made its decision to assist the current TCM department in establishing themselves as a completely separate 501C3 not-for-profit case management company, Special Needs Services of Ray County (SNS). SNS was initially staffed by former RCBS employees.

     Since the founding of RCBS, the Board has continued to fulfill its mission to promote an environment (array of services) whereby citizens of Ray County with developmental disabilities and their families have the opportunity to have productive and fulfilling lives, by

· Providing infrastructure, utilities, vehicles, fuel, equipment, maintenance, and numerous resources to Ideal Industries. To this day Ideal utilizes the property at 601 N. Thornton free of charge and all utilities are paid for by the Board. Sometime in 2014, the Board approved a $225, 000 ADA bathroom addition to the building at no cost to Ideal

· Building and maintain quality low-income housing apartments in Richmond, MO. Since their building, RCBS has insured that every HUD inspection has received a passing rating. In 2018, an erosion renovation project was undertaken at Ideal Apts to insure proper rainwater flow through the property

· Providing safe and reliable transportation to the supported individuals that choose RCBS services. This transportation allows easier access, especially in the evenings and on weekends, to the community for medical, shopping, entertainment, recreation and sometimes employment opportunities