The Residency program is the heart of Down Home Ranch. Our goal in building The Village at Down Home ranch was to re-create the old-fashioned neighborhood of years past, where a helping hand is always nearby. Residents are free to visit at will in one another's homes, to invite friends in for an evening of movies or games, or to gather together for a community celebration, swim, baseball game or meal.

Down Home Ranch is a community of celebration! We make a big deal of holidays and important occasions. Every resident's birthday is celebrated with a community party, and seasonal decorations reflect the traditions we all hold dear. While most residents spend holidays with their families, those for whom this is not practical are welcome to remain and celebrate with resident staff and other residents.

Every attempt is made to create a standard of living for all residents equal to that of their non-handicapped siblings. Residents exercise a great deal of choice day-to-day in choosing the activities in which they wish to participate. Excellent facilities, from our beautiful barn to our gorgeous pool and fitness center are available to them at all times.

Every year the residents get to take a weeklong vacation to a place of their choosing. Past vacations have included Memphis, Tennessee to check out Graceland and St. Jude's Children's Hospital, Corpus Christi for beachcombing and deepwater fishing, Kansas City to attend the annual conference of the National Down Syndrome Congress, and San Antonio. This year we will be accompanying residents on their fourth cruise down the coast of Mexico.

"Down" is in our name, and we specialize in meeting the unique needs of those who have Down syndrome, which the majority of our residents do. At the same time, we are not exclusive of those who don't, and work equally hard to meet the needs of all our residents.

Living Options at Down Home Ranch

Intentionally small, the Village is home to 16 residents living in two settings: Four more live at the Spur Ranch, a recent addition which has swelled the Ranch's acreage to 340, and which will be the site of our cattle operation.

Residents live in one of five 4-person homes, each separately licensed as an ICF-MR home, with all fees paid by a combination of federal and state resources. Residents must be on Medicaid and have a DMR (determination of mental retardation) to be considered for residency.

Twenty residents and ten staff live on the Ranch today, as friends and next-door neighbors. Each home houses four residents of the same gender, plus a Resident Assistant who serves as friend, teacher, and life coach to assist residents to become more independent tending the home and grounds, making up menus and shopping, preparing meals, and attending to the myriad duties of maintaining a real home. Each resident enjoys a large private bedroom and a private or semi-private bathroom.

We anticipate that after a number of years on the Ranch, some residents might want to try life in a small town or even the big city of Austin. To that end, the Ranch retains its provider status for the Home and Community Based Services program, which will allow residents who have been granted HCS to live more independently in a typical urban setting. Of course, they'll keep their friends and Ranch associations for as long as they wish, as they make new ones in town.

Application for Residency

The Ranch does not maintain a "waiting list" in the traditional sense. We evaluate each applicant on the interest list who has been accepted for future residency when a vacancy occurs, matching as best we can the resident to the living situation, house, staff, and residents. We want every resident to be able to benefit from life at the Ranch, and to be able to contribute to it in the setting currently available.

The residency program at Down Home Ranch is open to persons age 18 and older and out of high school regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or national origin.

Protocol for Application

Call the Ranch Program Director at (888) 926-2253 or email to program@downhomeranch.org to inquire about vacancies and be placed on the interest list. When a vacancy occurs, we will begin screening pre-approved applicants for interest and suitability. All other things being equal, a person's longevity on the interest list will determine who is first offered residency.

Down Home Ranch is limited by regulatory agencies to serving a maximum 20 persons under ICF-MR at our Williamson County site.