The Statewide Employment Services Department works, as do others within MRC, both on the individual consumer level and on the macro level to develop jobs, provide technical assistance and training, link with employee assistance programs, use social security work incentives, etc. Services provided directly to consumers include information & referral, and a range of community based employment services including supported employment, job coaches. To request an application call 204-3854.

The Statewide Head Injury Program (SHIP) also falls under this division. SHIP provides a wide spectrum of services including: assistive technology, social and recreational programs, information & referral, survivor and family educational programs, respite services, supported living and residential programs, and case management and service coordination. SHIP also provides technical assistance and consultation to any public or private organizations that provide services to individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). To be eligible for SHIP services a person must have a TBI. SHIP funds 5 community-based Head-Injury Centers for Community Integration. The centers provide structured, supervised opportunities for training and practice in the consumer’s home and community for those consumers who are medically and behaviorally stable and able to participate. Generally they offer supported employment and recreation programs.

The Housing Services Program which hosts an accessible housing database, Mass Access, works to develop new housing opportunities for people with disabilities and provide housing and fair housing training for consumers, service providers and the public.

The Homecare Assistance Program provides homemaker services to assist disabled individuals to remain in the community. Homemaking services are defined as direct assistance with: meal preparation, grocery shopping, medication pick-up, laundry and light housekeeping. The eligibility criteria are that an individual: has a disabling condition which prevents him/her from performing homemaking tasks, requires homemaking assistance to prevent hospitalization or institutionalization, is financially needy, lives alone or with someone unable to perform homemaking (examples that might win on appeal- a spouse who must care for young children or a spouse who must work), is between 18 and 59 inclusive and is not legally blind. The maximum number of hours of services an individual can receive is 12/week. The average is 4-5 hours/week. These services are subject to yearly appropriations by the Massachusetts Legislature; as a result, the Home Care Assistance Program frequently has a waiting list for services.

Turning 22 Independent Living Services provides transitional services for young people with severe physical disabilities who are exiting special education and require transitional services to live successfully in the community. MRC T-22 helps students make decisions about living independently, coordinates their Individual Transition Plans, and funds supported living case coordinators for those individuals who choose to live independently in the community. Case coordination assistance can include such areas as helping consumers find housing, financial management and paying bills, and help with hiring/firing their personal care assistants. MRC T-22 also funds skills trainers from independent living centers to go into school systems to provide peer counseling and teach independent living skills to students with severe physical disabilities. These skills can include areas such as teaching consumers how to advocate for themselves, how to manage the PCA system, how to find housing and teaching strategies for problem-solving issues that will arise when consumers are living on their own. The philosophy of consumer control and consumer empowerment guide the services provided in this program as in all of MRC’s programs.

The Protective Services Program provides routine and emergency protective services. It is available 24 hours a day and offers a range of services from crisis intervention to counseling and case management. Emergency shelter is available in cases of imminent risk of serious harm or death.

The primary goal of the MRC is to help people with disabilities go to work and enjoy a productive life. Some people have disabilities, traumatic or lifelong, which prevent them from performing any work at all. The Disability Determination Services Division is responsible for assuring that people who cannot work continue to have financial support through disability benefits under Social Security Law.