Protecting Community-Based Living

Real homes. Real families. Worth fighting for.

MARSH is a statewide coalition of AFC and HCBS providers dedicated to a better tomorrow for those we serve. We advocate for the family-based residential homes that allow Minnesotans with disabilities to live with dignity, stability, and belonging.

What Is at Stake

Family Residential Services is in crisis

Minnesota's new flat rate reimbursement system pays family providers a fixed daily amount regardless of each person's assessed needs. Providers remain legally responsible for 24-hour care while funding no longer reflects what that care costs. Homes are closing, and the people who live in them have the most to lose.

3,300+
Minnesotans rely on Family Residential Services homes for around-the-clock care in a family setting.
$195/day
The lowest flat rate tier, covering 24 hours of supervision, care, and household costs.
2x
Corporate group home placements cost roughly twice as much as the family homes they replace.
Who We Are

A coalition built by providers, for the people they serve

MARSH represents licensed Adult Foster Care and Family Residential Services providers across Minnesota, operating under 245A and 245D licensing. Our members open their own homes to adults with disabilities, often caring for the same individuals for years or decades.

These are not facilities. They are homes where birthdays are celebrated, routines are trusted, and residents are family. MARSH exists to keep that model alive.

We advocate

At the Capitol, with DHS, with CMS, and in the courts, MARSH fights for policies that fund care based on each person's actual assessed needs.

We inform

Members get timely updates on legislation, licensing, rates, and revalidation, translated into plain language with clear action steps.

We support

From consultants to templates to member town halls, MARSH gives providers the tools to protect their homes and the people in them.

The Fight Right Now

Where MARSH is taking the fight in 2026

The flat rate system took effect April 1, 2026. MARSH is challenging it, and the policies surrounding it, on every available front.

In the courts

MARSH and individual plaintiffs have filed a federal class action, Civil Action No. 26-cv-3037, asking the court to review the policies dismantling Family Residential Services and to restore needs-based rates.

Read about the lawsuit

At the Capitol

MARSH championed HF 4288 and SF 4310 to restore the DWRS framework rate and is working with legislators on new legislation for the next session. Member letters and testimony drive this work.

Follow legislative updates

In the public eye

Statewide news outlets are covering provider closures, the lawsuit, and the human cost of the flat rate system. Our press page collects that coverage in one place for anyone to share.

Visit the press page
Membership

Your home is their home. Membership protects both.

MARSH is member-funded. Dues pay for the lobbyist, the legal work, the data collection, and the communications that keep this fight moving. When providers stand together, legislators, agencies, and courts listen.

Explore Membership Perks
  • Action alerts with legislator contacts, templates, and clear steps when your voice matters most.
  • Access to consultants and guidance on licensing, rates, revalidation, and appeals.
  • Member town halls and Q&A sessions with the MARSH board and our lobbyist.
  • A statewide community of providers who understand exactly what this work takes.

Questions? Talk to us.

Whether you are a provider, a family member, a case manager, a reporter, or a legislator, we want to hear from you.

Email admin@marshmn.org