The best way to start is to contact Mercer Residential Services at (419) 586-4709. We will discuss our services with you and help you navigate through the system.

Depending upon the type of service you are looking for, you may have to contact the Your local County Board of Developmental Disabilities or your local Ohio Job and Family Services Department. Again, we can help guide you in the proper direction, depending upon the type of service you need.

There is no age limit. From infancy to age three, the federally funded early intervention program offers services for babies diagnosed with or at risk (such as low birth weight babies) for a developmental delay. At MRSI, we provide housing support services for adults age 18 and up.

Yes, you can choose more than one provider. And depending upon the type of service you or your family member is receiving; you may have several different providers delivering services. The advantage to choosing MRSI for providing all services is that we form a team atmosphere and work as a cohesive unit. In the provision of services for adults, the individual may receive a variety of services from separate providers or may receive all services from one agency.

Yes, you have a choice of provider. You also have the right to “un-choose” a provider or switch providers. At MRSI we take very seriously the idea of client choice and know that we have to serve that individual every day to the very best of our ability and we do not take for granted the fact that clients or their families/guardians can decide to change providers.

MRSI is also an agency with choice under the SELF Waiver. Agency With Choice is a new provider model that is used in other states and is now being offered by MRSI. This model allows consumers to have an increased level of self-determination when they assume shared responsibility with an Agency With Choice for the hiring and management of the employees who provide waiver services to them. The Agency With Choice model designates the consumer or their family member as the managing employer while the Agency With Choice becomes the common law employer of record.

The MRSI Agency With Choice model does more than provide consumers with a choice of workers. It allows individuals with intellectual disabilities and their family members to experience a greater level of self-determination as they learn new skills through the sharing of management and supervision responsibilities. Click here for more information regarding the Agency of Choice.

An overview of our services is listed here. You can get more detailed information about a specific program or service by contacting MRSI.

Mercer Residential contracts with the College of Direct Support to provide on-line training to its employees. The College of Direct Support (CDS) is a set of web-based courses designed for direct support professionals (DSPs) and others who support individuals with disabilities.

This flexible coursework is designed to connect them with a nationally recognized set of skills and a clear career path, and to celebrate their important role in helping the people we support toward developing richer, more fulfilling lives.

The College of Direct Support core courses are developed by the University of Minnesota’s Research and Training Center on Community Living. Each course is reviewed by a group of content experts from the National Board of Editors, who serve as editors and advisers for all courses.

While the College of Direct Support educational content can change lives, its learning and performance management system, Elsevier Performance Manager, is truly transformational. It enables members of our workforce to set their own training schedule, accessing the online lessons when it works best for them.

All staff is also certified in first aide, CPR and delegated nursing tasks.

MRSI goes where our services are needed. The home office is located in Celina, Ohio. Our business plan is to be the leader of quality and affordable housing and support services for people with intellectual or emotional disabilities in the communities of West Central Ohio.

We are a nonprofit organization established in 1977 by a group of parents and professionals as a local alternative to the institutionalization of people with disabilities. We provide an array of services from group homes, homemaker/personal care services, vocational, recreational, and social activities, for people with cognitive disabilities. We develop and manage affordable housing for individuals and families with mental illness.

Funds come from a combination of federal, state and local programs. Many state programs receive federal matching dollars. MRSI also receives financial support from grants, fund raising and special events and from developing projects that provide revenue streams for the agency; the proceeds from which go back into the delivery of services.

MRSI currently serves more than 125 individuals in a wide variety of programs, everything from group homes for people with intellectual disabilities to mental health housing and a consumer drop in center.

Presently, MRSI employs over 85 part/full time staff.

MRSI is known for the quality of service we provide. We have the greatest respect for the staff who works for us because they are really working for the consumers. During reviews and internal surveys, our employees regularly comment on the positive nature, the good humor and sense of fun that they feel in doing their work. Because we sincerely believe that every person has the right to achieve maximum independence, inclusion and potential within the community, everything we do is directed toward those goals. We are locally based and all tax dollars stay here and support the local community. All management, Board of Directors, and staff live nearby in the community. Because we are nearby, we can respond to any problems more rapidly. We have two local registered nurses on call 24/7 to respond to any medical concerns. We are a charter supporter of the Challenger baseball program and local Special Olympics. With a staff of over 85 people we are large enough to serve you, but small enough to know you.

Essentially, clients have control over their own money. We can manage funds if it is part of the client’s individualized service plan. With regard to state monies, we are required to maintain sole responsibility for those funds.

Openings in our adult group homes vary, but typically we have one opening every other year. We do have a waiting list and the sooner you sign up for services, the better chance you will have when there is an opening. If your name comes to the top and you are not ready, you can pass until the time is right for you and still stay at the top of the list.

You can get on the waiting list for the Wayne Street home by contacting us or by printing off and filling out the waiting list form here.

Group homes are larger group settings with eight people per home. The funding is different in that Medicaid pays for room/board, transportation, furniture, etc. in the group home. Group homes are licensed by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities and are under much stricter rules and regulations. In supported living, Medicaid only pays for staffing costs. Things like rent, food, utilities, etc. all are paid from the consumer’s personal income.

Medication Administration is provided by fully trained staff through in-service training and oversight delegated by a licensed nurse to unlicensed personnel who are administering any medications in I/O or Supported Living environments. This comprehensive training course is conducted by qualified and experienced nursing staff to provide safe medication administration for consumers according to rules set forth by the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities, and the State of Ohio Board of Nursing.