Community Residential Setting and Home

We provide the right mix of independence, security and support for individuals to thrive and reach their full potential. These include employment and daytime activities, recreation opportunities, health services, community education classes, and as much contact with parents and guardians as possible.

Community Based Services

Services for people who live in their own home or family home that provide support and/or training in community living service categories.  

Support in community living service categories: Cueing, skill maintenance, guidance, instruction, assistance with activities of daily living, assistance with coordination of community living activities or direct supervision. Support must be within an allowable community living service category. 

Training in community living service categories: Skill-building and instructional services to acquire, retain and improve the person’s experience living in the community. 

Our mission is to support people with disabilities to live an empowered life!

Bear Creek Services is a non-profit organization based in Rochester, MN, that provides services to individuals with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries. Here are some numbers that reflect the impact of our mission:

We currently have 13 licensed group homes.

More than 95% of our bed slots are filled each year.

More than 50 people are enrolled in our Independent Living Services Program (BCILS).

We have the capacity to provide 24-hour, 365-day per year care for 48 people in our group homes.

Our employees spend more than 190,500 hours per year on direct care in our homes.

Olmsted County residents spend more than 4,000 hours per year volunteering for our residents.

On a typical weeknight, about 80% of people supported by Bear Creek Services are out of their house, in the community, doing something. Outings include grocery shopping, community education classes, and recreation activities.

Every single person enrolled in or programs who wishes to attend a religious activity is able to do so.

In the past year, about half of all people enrolled in our programs have gone on a vacation. Vacations include going to camp, visiting family out of town, overnight trips to Minneapolis, and more!

While these numbers are accurate, they don’t tell the whole story of who we are. At Bear Creek Services, we see ourselves as a support system for individuals with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries to help them maximize their potential and enjoy all that life has to offer. We provide this support through person-centered programs that respect each person’s dignity and desires.

Person-centered means that there is a partnership between the people enrolled in our programs and our staff members. Our staff provide supervision and support, but without direct control. Staff members work together towards helping each person meet their goals. Goals may include education, employment, independent living, socialization or other skills. We encourage everyone in our program to interact with the Rochester community as much as possible. We also invite members in our community to participate in Bear Creek Services events, because we believe that belonging to our community is what makes all of us all thrive as individuals.

This sense of community life and partnership is shown in our logo. The logo represents three people embracing to form a circle. One of the people is the person being provided services. The second person is the Bear Creek Services staff member who is providing the services. The final person is YOU — a member of our community. Whether you are a staff member, volunteer, donor, business partner, or an event attendee, you have an impact on the lives of people with developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries in our community.

Shared Values

The following values were created with input from Bear Creek Services staff members, the board of directors, and family members of those we provide services for.

1.

We, first and foremost, value the VOICES of the individuals we support, to direct the way we provide their support services, allowing for personal choices and risk taking.

2.

We value the care, concern, commitment and voices of the FAMILIES and understand and respect their input.

3.

We value the physical, mental, and emotional health and WELLBEING of each individual.

4.

We value the CONTRIBUTIONS that individuals offer to their community and our responsibility to support and promote relationship building and community engagement.

5.

We value empowered, well trained, compassionate, creative, professional and respectful STAFF.

6.

We value open and honest COMMUNICATION.

7.

We value providing services and HOMES that are inviting, safe, respectful, functional, stable and comfortable.

8.

We value collaborative RELATIONSHIPS with other provider agencies and community partners.

9.

We value the NEIGHBORHOODS we live in and strive to be valued members of those neighborhoods.

10.

We value INNOVATION, INTEGRITY, and EXCELLENCE in all aspects of the services we provide.

11.

We value GOOD STEWARDSHIP of the resources we have been entrusted with by our clients, our community, our state and our country.

12.

And lastly, we value JOY… in life, in work, in our communities.