Beacon Specialized Living (Beacon Keystone): Ownership, Violations, and Lawsuits
Michael Hill and the team at Michael Hill Trial Law investigate abuse, neglect, and wrongful-death cases involving group homes and intermediate care facilities (ICF/IIDs), and we represent families nationwide. The firm focuses on neglect and abuse in group homes, ICF/IIDs, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities. Beacon Specialized Living Services, Inc. is a Kalamazoo, Michigan company that runs group homes, crisis homes, and day programs for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, severe mental illness, and complex behavioral needs. It is owned by the private-equity firm The Vistria Group.
If someone you love was injured or died in a group home or ICF operated by Beacon Specialized Living Services or one of its brands, you may have legal options, and time limits can be short. Case reviews are free and confidential. Start your case or call (800) 659-2712.
Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Ownership and financial figures are drawn from public filings, state and federal records, and news reporting; regulatory and lawsuit items are from government records and court filings, each cited at the end of this page. Lawsuits and criminal charges are allegations unless a court has ruled; state findings may be appealed.
Group Home & ICF/IID Case Types We Handle
The injuries and neglect we investigate in group homes and intermediate care facilities.
Beacon Specialized Living Services at a Glance
- Legal name: Beacon Specialized Living Services, Inc.
- Headquarters: Kalamazoo, Michigan
- Founded: 1998 (founder Ken Ratzlaff); the company's About page also states "since 1964"
- Ownership: For-profit, private; owned by the private-equity firm The Vistria Group since March 2022; prior investor Pharos Capital Group (2016)
- Scale: More than 200 homes in eight states (MI, MN, MO, NJ, OH, PA, VA, WI); more than 1,800 people served as of 2022
- Revenue: Not publicly reported; trade press reported about $30 million in EBITDA at the time of the 2022 deal
- Brands: Beacon Specialized Living; Beacon Home at [location]; Beacon Keystone / Keystone Community Resources (PA); Minamyer Residential Care (OH); state entities in MN, NJ, OH, VA, and WI
- Headline issues: A Minnesota conditional license under appeal; Michigan mistreatment findings and revocation recommendations; the FTC board-interlock matter with Sevita
Group homes and ICF/IIDs are licensed and inspected mainly by the states and, for ICF/IIDs, by federal CMS — there is no federal five-star rating like the one for nursing homes. Counts below are from public records and are not a complete litigation history; they do not by themselves indicate the quality of any individual home.
What Group Homes and ICF/IIDs Are — and Why Harm Happens
A group home is a residential setting where a small number of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) live together with staff support. An intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IID) is a federally certified, Medicaid-funded facility that must meet federal standards for active treatment, health care, and client protections. Many residents cannot fully protect themselves or reliably report what happens to them, which is exactly why staffing, supervision, and training decide whether people are safe.
The injuries that recur in these settings are rarely mysterious. They include falls and fractures; bedsores and pressure injuries; choking on the wrong diet texture; dehydration, malnutrition, and bowel obstruction and fecal impaction; medication errors; wandering and elopement; physical or sexual assault by staff or other residents; and, in the worst cases, wrongful death. The common thread is understaffing — a home that accepts residents it is not staffed or trained to care for makes the harm foreseeable.
Who Owns Beacon Specialized Living Services?
Beacon is owned by The Vistria Group, a Chicago private-equity firm, which announced its acquisition on March 28, 2022. Beacon was described as an investment from Vistria Fund IV. Trade press (Behavioral Health Business) reported the deal at about $300 million, or roughly ten times about $30 million in reported EBITDA; the announcement itself did not give a price. Pharos Capital Group, another private-equity firm, had invested in Beacon in 2016. The financing terms of the 2022 purchase, including any lender, loan amount, or dividends, have not been publicly disclosed.
Vistria also co-owns Sevita, one of the largest IDD providers in the country, according to the Private Equity Stakeholder Project. That shared ownership led to a 2025 Federal Trade Commission matter over directors who sat on both companies' boards. Beacon is privately held and does not publish its revenue.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2016 | Pharos Capital Group invests in Beacon |
| March 28, 2022 | The Vistria Group announces its acquisition of Beacon (Vistria Fund IV) |
| September 15, 2025 | FTC announces three directors resigned from Sevita's board over an interlock with Beacon |
| April 24, 2026 | Minnesota DHS issues a two-year conditional license to Beacon's Minnesota entity |
The financing for the 2022 Vistria purchase, including the lender and any loan amount, has not been publicly disclosed.
Revenue, Public Funding, and Finances
Beacon is privately held and does not publish financial statements. Trade press reporting on the 2022 Vistria deal put Beacon's EBITDA at about $30 million and its headcount at about 1,400. Most of Beacon's funding comes from Medicaid, through state ICF/IID and waiver claims systems that are not published in state checkbooks, so public payment totals understate its public funding.
Beacon Specialized Living Services Leadership
Darren W. Hodgdon is listed as chief executive officer on Beacon's website. Founder Ken Ratzlaff served as president from 1998 until his death in 2021. The Private Equity Stakeholder Project reported in 2025 that Beacon did not list its current leadership or board members on its website. Executive pay is not publicly reported.
Beacon Specialized Living Services Brand Names and the Entity on the License
The name on a state license, inspection report, or court filing is often a subsidiary or brand. Families searching state records should look for these names:
| Family | Names you may see |
|---|---|
| Michigan | ['Beacon Specialized Living Services, Inc.', 'Beacon Home at [location]'] |
| Pennsylvania | ['Beacon Keystone', 'Keystone Community Resources, Inc.'] |
| Other state entities | ['Beacon Specialized Living Minnesota Inc', "Beacon Specialized Living New Jersey, Inc. (acquired Enable, Inc.'s assets)", 'Beacon Specialized Living Ohio, Inc.', 'Minamyer Residential Care Services, Inc.', 'Beacon Specialized Living Wisconsin, Inc.'] |
Where Beacon Specialized Living Services Operates
Beacon is headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and lists eight states: Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Its Pennsylvania operation, Beacon Keystone (formerly Keystone Community Resources), alone serves more than 1,400 adults through more than 80 group homes and day programs. Company-wide figures of more than 1,800 people in over 200 homes were last published in March 2022.
Beacon Specialized Living Services Lawsuits, Government Findings, and Regulatory Record
Beacon's main public-record concerns are in Minnesota and Michigan. Minnesota placed Beacon's state license on a conditional order under appeal in 2026 and has issued maltreatment fines; Michigan has established numerous violations at Beacon homes, including staff-conduct findings and revocation recommendations at individual homes. The 2025 FTC matter concerned shared directors with Sevita, not care quality. Lawsuits found in public records are mostly wage-and-hour and employment cases; no resident-injury or wrongful-death verdicts against Beacon were found in the sources reviewed.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| License actions | 2 |
| State agency findings | 2 |
| Federal regulatory matters | 1 |
| State fines | 1 |
This is not a complete litigation history, and the existence of a lawsuit or complaint is not proof of wrongdoing. A settlement is not an admission of liability. Findings by state agencies may be appealed.
Notable matters
- 2026 — License action (conditional license, under appeal): Minnesota conditional license citing 24 violations. On April 24, 2026, the Minnesota Department of Human Services issued a two-year conditional license to Beacon Specialized Living Minnesota Inc after an October 2025 licensing visit found 24 violations. Beacon requested reconsideration, and the state's lookup reads "Conditional Order issued/under Appeal/May Operate." Beacon may continue operating during the appeal. Source
- 2026 — State maltreatment fine orders: Minnesota maltreatment fines for neglect. Minnesota DHS issued two maltreatment fine orders against Beacon's Minnesota license: a $5,000 fine in July 2026 for serious neglect of dental care at a Coon Rapids site, and a $1,000 fine in August 2024 for neglect of hygiene and foot care at a North St. Paul site. The license also carries about 20 correction orders and 14 maltreatment investigative memoranda. Amount: $6,000. Source
- 2025 — Federal regulatory matter (resolved by resignations): FTC interlocking-directorate matter with Sevita. On September 15, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission announced that three individuals had resigned from the board of Sevita because they also sat on Beacon's board, which the FTC said violated Section 8 of the Clayton Act's bar on shared directors among competitors. The FTC release names Beacon but does not name the directors or Vistria; it said the resignations resolved its concerns. No complaint was filed. Source
- 2026 — State agency finding (violation established): Michigan findings at Beacon Home at Lake Orion after reported assaults. In a July 10, 2026 special investigation, Michigan's licensing agency (LARA) established a violation at Beacon Home at Lake Orion for failing to carry out a resident's behavior plan, including 1:1 staffing and room searches, after reports that two residents were sexually assaulted by another resident. Repeat violations were established for unsanitary premises and resident hygiene. These are state agency findings, which may be appealed. Source
- 2025 — State agency finding (repeat violation; revocation recommended): Michigan repeat violation at Anchor Point North. In an August 5, 2025 report, Michigan LARA established a repeat violation at Beacon's Anchor Point North home after a staff member grabbed a resident by the neck and pushed him against a wall, and recommended continuing a standing revocation recommendation. As of late October 2026, the home was listed on a provisional license rather than revoked. Source
- 2025 — License action (provisional downgrade, pending appeal): Pennsylvania provisional-license downgrade at 16 Beacon Keystone homes. On May 20, 2025, Pennsylvania's Office of Developmental Programs issued a provisional-certificate downgrade, listed as pending appeal, at 16 Beacon Keystone homes in several Central-region counties. The Central-region license was provisional for most of 2025 and returned to regular status on October 30, 2025. Source
Complaint and Harm Types in the Beacon Specialized Living Services Record
Across the public records reviewed, these are the kinds of harm that recur — the same kinds our firm investigates in group homes and ICF/IIDs. If your loved one experienced any of these, it may support a claim:
Who May Be Legally Responsible
Because Beacon Specialized Living Services operates through separate state entities and brands — and because the parent company, the licensed operator, the employer of the staff, and in some cases the property owner may be different companies — a lawsuit may need to name more than one defendant. Names that have appeared in records involving these homes include:
- Beacon Specialized Living Services, Inc.
- Beacon Specialized Living Minnesota Inc
- Beacon Specialized Living New Jersey, Inc.
- Beacon Specialized Living Ohio, Inc.
- Beacon Specialized Living Wisconsin, Inc.
- Beacon Keystone
- Keystone Community Resources, Inc.
- Minamyer Residential Care Services, Inc.
What to Do If You Suspect Neglect or Abuse in a Group Home or ICF
- Get medical care. Call 911 or go to the hospital for any serious injury, sudden decline, or unexplained bruising, fracture, or weight loss.
- Report it. Notify the home’s administrator in writing, the state or county developmental disabilities agency that receives incident reports, adult protective services, and law enforcement for any suspected crime.
- Find the licensed entity. Ask for the license or check your state’s provider lookup; the company on the license is often a state subsidiary or brand name rather than the parent company.
- Document everything. Take photos, write down dates, times, and names, and save texts and emails.
- Request records. Ask for incident reports, the individual service or program plan, medication administration records, and staffing schedules. Guardians and authorized representatives usually have access rights.
- Be careful with statements and documents. Do not give recorded statements to insurers or sign releases or arbitration agreements before talking to a lawyer. Deadlines can be short.
Why Families Bring Group Home and ICF Cases to Michael Hill Trial Law
These cases are won by lawyers who try them. Michael Hill and the team at Michael Hill Trial Law focus on neglect and abuse in group homes, ICF/IIDs, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities, and the firm has obtained record results, including $26 million, the highest recorded verdict against a nursing home in Ohio history. The firm’s main office is in Cleveland, Ohio; it practices nationwide, its attorneys are licensed in numerous states, and it works with affiliate firms across the country. The review is free, and you owe nothing unless we recover for you.
Start your free, confidential case review | Call (800) 659-2712
Frequently Asked Questions About Beacon Specialized Living Services
Who owns Beacon Specialized Living?
Beacon is owned by The Vistria Group, a Chicago private-equity firm, which announced its acquisition in March 2022. Pharos Capital Group was an earlier private-equity investor beginning in 2016. The financing terms of the 2022 deal have not been disclosed.
Is Beacon connected to Sevita?
They share a private-equity owner. Vistria owns Beacon and co-owns Sevita. In September 2025 the FTC announced that three directors resigned from Sevita's board because they also sat on Beacon's board, which the agency said violated the Clayton Act's bar on interlocking directorates among competitors.
What happened with Beacon's Minnesota license?
Minnesota's Department of Human Services issued a two-year conditional license in April 2026 after an October 2025 visit found 24 violations. Beacon requested reconsideration and may keep operating while the matter is under appeal. The license also carries maltreatment fine orders of $1,000 (2024) and $5,000 (2026).
What has Michigan found at Beacon homes?
Michigan's licensing agency has established violations at several Beacon homes, including a repeat violation after a staff member grabbed a resident by the neck (with a revocation recommendation) and failures to follow a resident's behavior plan at Lake Orion after reports of assaults. These are state agency findings that may be appealed.
Has Beacon been sued?
Public records show mostly wage-and-hour and employment cases, including pending federal FLSA suits in Pennsylvania and a Michigan whistleblower case that was dismissed and affirmed. No resident-injury verdicts against Beacon were found in the sources reviewed. Unless a court rules, claims are allegations.
Can I sue a group home or ICF operator for neglect or abuse?
Generally, families may bring civil claims against a group home or ICF operator when neglect or abuse causes injury or death, and the parent company and the licensed entity may both be proper defendants. Deadlines, damage rules, and required pre-suit steps vary by state, and arbitration clauses and Medicaid liens can matter. A lawyer licensed in your state can explain your options. Michael Hill Trial Law offers free, confidential case reviews for families nationwide.
Who is legally responsible when someone is harmed in a group home?
Often more than one company. These operators frequently run each home through a separate local entity that holds the license, while the building may be owned by another company and staff employed by a third; for-profit owners and investors can sit above all of them. The right defendants depend on who held the license, who employed the staff, who managed care, and who owned the property at the time of the harm.
What if we signed an arbitration agreement?
Courts do not always enforce these arbitration clauses. Whether one applies depends on who signed it, the authority that person had, and the state's law. Keep a copy of everything you signed and have a lawyer review it before assuming you cannot bring a claim.
How do I check a group home or ICF's inspection and complaint record?
Group homes are licensed and inspected mainly by state developmental-disabilities and health agencies; ICF/IIDs are also certified and inspected under federal CMS rules. Use the state agency's provider lookup for the state where the home is located, and ask the agency for inspection reports and substantiated complaints.
About Michael Hill Trial Law
Michael Hill Trial Law represents families in group home, ICF/IID, nursing home, and assisted living abuse and neglect cases. The firm’s main office is in Cleveland, Ohio; it practices across the country, its attorneys are licensed in numerous states, and it works with affiliate firms throughout the United States. The firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients, including a $26 million jury verdict for wrongful death, the highest nursing home verdict in Ohio history. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Learn more about group home and ICF/IID neglect cases, wrongful death, and physical and sexual assault, or meet our team.
Sources
Information on this page comes from government records, court filings, regulatory reports, company statements, and news reports, linked below. Lawsuits and criminal charges are allegations unless a court has ruled. Findings by state agencies may be subject to appeal.
- The Vistria Group: Beacon acquisition announcement (2022)
- FTC: three directors resign from Sevita's board (Sept. 2025)
- Minnesota DHS License Lookup, license 1070450
- Michigan LARA adult foster care special investigation (Anchor Point North)
- Michigan LARA special investigation (Lake Orion)
- Pennsylvania ODP negative sanctions (Beacon Keystone, provider 1574)
- Private Equity Stakeholder Project: FTC/Sevita-Beacon coverage (2025)
- Behavioral Health Business: Vistria-Beacon deal (2022)
- Ohio Auditor of State: Beacon Ohio ICF cost-report review (2025)
- NPPES NPI registry: Beacon Specialized Living Ohio
This page provides general information about a company that operates group homes and intermediate care facilities. It is not legal advice and does not mean that any particular home or employee did anything wrong. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Last reviewed November 12, 2026.
