More than 22 years of service to Iowans.
1986
ResCare, Inc. is founded by John Kuster and Harvey Hensley to provide disability and health care services in Iowa. John Kuster continues to serve as the chairman of the board.
1987
ResCare begins business operations by winning contracts to manage the Jefferson County and Wapello County Residential Care Facilities (RCF). ResCare discontinued operations of the Wapello County RCF in 1997 and the Jefferson County RCF in 2006, but continues to own the Jefferson county property.
1988
ResCare is awarded the contract to manage the Washington County Residential Care Facility. Operations continue until 2006, when the facility is closed in order to move people to community-based living with ResCare supports.
1989
ResCare is awarded the contract to manage the Davis County Residential Care Facility. ResCare continues to operate this facility, but as a specialized unit.
1990
ResCare expands supported community living services in response to growing needs and begins buying and building affordable housing throughout Southeast Iowa to provide persons being served in the community with decent, safe and affordable housing.
1992
ResCare is accredited to provide Home and Community-Based Waiver Services (HCBS) and expands community services for persons with mental retardation throughout various southern and southeastern Iowa counties to become one of the largest service providers in the state.
1993
The Wapello County RCF in Ottumwa is downsized significantly and renamed Highland Place. ResCare begins providing Residential Care for Persons with a Mental Illness (RCF/PMI) – a higher level of care – at the facility. ResCare ceased management of this facility in 1997.
ResCare begins providing supported employment services with the creation of STEP (Supporting the Employment Process). ResCare continues to provide this service in various locations.
1995
ResCare opens the Davis Center in Bloomfield, Iowa, to become Iowa’s only community-based intermediate care facility for persons with a mental illness to provide services to persons in need of both nursing and mental health care.
ResCare is accredited by the State of Iowa as a mental health provider, and begins operations of various mental health centers. ResCare continues to provide mental health services in several counties.
ResCare expands ownership of the company to include employee stockholders.
1997
ResCare begins managing facility-based services and providing community services in Lee county. Operation is continued until 2001, when the facility is closed in order to move people to community-based living, with ResCare supports.
ResCare is designated the community mental health provider for Henry and Jefferson counties. ResCare is currently also the community mental health provider in Des Moines and Louisa counties, and to some degree in Lee, Van Buren and Muscatine counties.
1998
ResCare begins providing Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation as one of the first eight accredited providers in the state.
ResCare begins providing community services in additional central Iowa counties.
ResCare begins managing Des Moines county’s facility based services (RCF). This operation is continued until 2007, when in keeping with the new mission, ResCare discontinues management to focus on community based services.
ResCare develops and begins managing Woodridge Apartments, a 24-unit, tax credit, affordable housing project in Washington. ResCare continues management of this project.
2000
2001
ResCare begins managing Muscatine county’s facility-based services (RCF) and providing community services in Muscatine. Operation of the facility continues until 2006, when the facility is closed and people are moved to the community with ResCare supports.
ResCare begins management of the Muscatine Section 811 Properties known as Fulliam and Tanglefoot Apartments.
ResCare begins providing children’s HCBS services in central Iowa counties, and expands to other service areas.
ResCare begins development of Lincoln Ridge, a 16-unit, tax credit, affordable housing project in Keokuk with intensive services to be provided to tenants with a serious mental illness, in conjunction with the closing of the Lee county facility.
2003
ResCare starts providing community-based supports to individuals in Iowa county.
ResCare begins management for 34 apartment units in Bloomfield and Ottumwa.
2004
ResCare partners with the Muscatine Welfare Association and Burns & Burns, Inc. to submit an application to the Iowa Finance Authority and Department of Economic Development to construct 22 LIHTC units for persons with disabilities in Muscatine county. This project is known as Fulton Place. It is awarded the following year and opened in 2006.
ResCare partners with Jefferson County Progressive Housing and Burns & Burns, Inc. to submit an application for the second time to the Iowa Finance Authority and Department of Economic Development to construct 18 LIHTC units for persons with disabilities in Jefferson county. This project is known as Jackson Point. It is awarded the following year and opened in 2006.
2006
ResCare obtains a new line of business through acquisition of a Home Health Care Agency, “Nurse in the House”.
ResCare's mission, vision and core values are revised to better represent present and future company operations.
In-depth leadership training is provided to ResCare’s leadership team through an intensive six-month training curriculum provided by a professional consultant.
ResCare purchases its central office location at 301 W. Burlington Avenue in Fairfield, Iowa.
2007
Majority company stock ownership and management is transferred to William Dodds, president and Rodger Hotek, chief executive officer.
An updated structure and senior management team is put into place at ResCare.
2008
ResCare service locations are broken into five regions, overseen by regional directors. The regions are: Central Iowa, Great River, Mississippi River Bend, Old Capital and Southern Prairie.
The new regional directors join the senior management team to transition to a core team that functions as the leadership team of the company.
HCBS, Habilitation and Supported Employment services began in Johnson County.
2009
After an extensive brand discovery process to uncover the heart and soul of the organization, ResCare rebrands under the name Optimae LifeServices to more accurately reflect the many ways it serves clients.
