Celebrating the Local Legacy of Home and Community Options

For 50 years, Home and Community Options (HCO) has been part of the heartbeat of Winona—quietly transforming lives, opening doors, and showing what’s possible when community comes together with purpose.

It all started in 1975 with a bold idea: that people with developmental disabilities deserve to live full, meaningful lives in the communities they call home. What began as a grassroots movement to bring loved ones back from distant institutions has grown into a thriving, person-centered organization currently serving 127 individuals across community.

But HCO’s story isn’t just about services. It’s about people—neighbors, classmates, coworkers, friends—living, learning, and growing together.

A Community That Grows Together

You’ve likely seen the impact of HCO, even if you didn’t realize it. Maybe it’s the friendly face helping stock shelves at your favorite store. Or the neighbor who joins you at the farmer’s market. Or the direct support professional who rushed in from their shift to attend a college class. These are just a few of the hundreds of stories unfolding every day because of HCO’s presence in our community.

Individuals supported by HCO are deeply woven into the fabric of Winona. They work, pay taxes, shop locally, volunteer, and advocate. They are not only receiving support—they’re giving back.

And HCO isn’t just empowering individuals with disabilities; it’s also investing in local talent. With more than 300 employees—many of them students and graduates from Winona State University, Saint Mary’s University, and Minnesota State College Southeast—HCO helps young professionals find purpose-driven careers in human services while staying rooted in the Winona area.

50 Years, One Purpose: Community

As HCO marks its 50th anniversary, we’re not just looking back—we’re celebrating the thousands of moments, big and small, that have shaped this community into what it is today. We’re celebrating the volunteers, the advocates, the employees, and—most of all—the individuals who remind us daily what it means to live fully.

And we’re inviting you to be part of what’s next.

Want to learn more? Visit www.hco.org or call us at 507-452-1021. Whether you’re looking to volunteer, donate, apply, or connect—there’s a place for you in the HCO story.

Here’s to 50 years of creating a more inclusive Winona—and to all the possibility still ahead.