Assistance with Residential Care in the Home (ARCH) Respite Care

Innovative and Exemplary:

Assistance with Residential Care in the Home (ARCH) Respite Care, St. Louis Arc, St. Louis, MO is a consumer-directed respite service that helps a person with developmental disabilities live at home by providing intermittent, short-term relief to primary caregivers. It is one of the largest and longest running programs of this type in the United States. The program is open to any age person in St. Louis County and to people 3 years of age and older in St. Louis City who have been diagnosed with an intellectual or developmental disability, autism, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and more. Children and adults with medical or behavioral issues are also served. Each year, more than 1,400 families in St. Louis County, and 200 families in St. Louis City are served. The model is one of family-driven supports, implemented through a family reimbursement model paired with St. Louis Arc’s comprehensive family supports, information and resources and planning tools. Families are engaged in planning that includes not just how to successfully access and use respite care, but also what are the goals they want to accomplish through respite.

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Programs are reviewed every three years to assess continued status as Innovative and Exemplary. Following their review, recognition of  Assistance with Residential Care in the Home (ARCH) Respite Care at the St. Louis Arc as Innovative and Exemplary was extended to January 1, 2026.