Empowering People: Ohio ICF/IID & Group Homes
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. This page covers the Ohio group homes and intermediate care facilities (ICF/IID) operated by Empowering People, Inc. for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It does not concern any skilled nursing operation.
If someone you love was injured or died in a group home or ICF operated by Empowering People 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.
Empowering People at a Glance
- Legal name: Empowering People, Inc.
- Headquarters: Warren, Ohio (1268 N. River Rd. NE)
- Founded: Current ownership since 2012 (Kurt Miller)
- Ownership: Privately held; owner and CEO Kurt Miller
- Scale: ICF/IID homes plus HCBS/waiver services; company reports moving 250+ licensed ICF beds into smaller community-based homes
- Revenue: Not publicly disclosed (privately held)
- Brands: Takoda Trails; Vienna Meadows; Whispering Pines of Springfield; Manor Home; Stewart Lodge
- Headline issues: Pending wrongful-death suit over a Tallmadge group home; alleged understaffing, a staff assault, and a fatal pressure injury (allegations)
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 Empowering People?
Empowering People, Inc. is a privately held Ohio developmental-disabilities provider headquartered in Warren (Trumbull County). Its own 'Our Team' materials state that Kurt Miller became owner and CEO in 2012; Miller is also listed as president/CEO in the Ohio Provider Resource Association (OPRA) ICF roster and has testified before the Ohio General Assembly on ICF funding. The company is a certified provider for the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) and operates intermediate care facilities (ICF/IID), Home and Community-Based waiver services, adult day, and vocational habilitation. Despite a prior public report linking it to the nursing-home company Foundations Health Services, no authoritative source ties Empowering People's ownership or management to Foundations Health Solutions or Brian Colleran; the companies appear to be separate.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Kurt Miller becomes owner and CEO of Empowering People / Empowering People Management |
| 2023 | Empowering People takes over operation of a group home in Tallmadge, Ohio (per wrongful-death litigation) |
Where Empowering People Operates
Empowering People operates ICF/IID homes and waiver services in several Ohio counties, including Trumbull (Warren headquarters), Clark (Springfield and South Vienna, including Vienna Meadows and Whispering Pines of Springfield), Stark, and Ashtabula (Manor Home and Stewart Lodge). A related entity, Miller Holdings Summit (dba Springfield Home), appears in Ohio Auditor of State records as a Medicaid ICF provider.
Empowering People Lawsuits, Government Findings, and Regulatory Record
No aggregate CMS or Ohio DODD citation/penalty totals specific to Empowering People's ICF homes were independently verified for this page. The dollar figure for the pending Taylor matter is unspecified.
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 — Pending (allegations; unproven): Estate of Brian Taylor v. Empowering People (Tallmadge group home) — wrongful death. The estate of Brian Taylor, a 38-year-old nonverbal man who lived in a Tallmadge group home for nearly two decades, alleges that after Empowering People took over the home in 2023 it reduced staffing levels, qualifications, and training; that a staff member slapped him in November 2023 (that employee later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault); and that he was restrained in a chair in a way that caused a hip pressure wound that worsened and became infected. The Medina County coroner attributed his May 2025 death to sepsis from an infected pressure injury. A co-defendant nursing home (Altercare of Cuyahoga Falls) is also named over wound care. Empowering People had not publicly responded. Michael Hill Trial Law represents the family. All allegations are unproven. Source
Complaint and Harm Types in the Empowering People 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 Empowering People 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:
- Empowering People, Inc.
- Empowering People Management
- Miller Holdings Summit (dba Springfield Home)
- Takoda Trails
- Vienna Meadows
- Whispering Pines of Springfield
- Manor Home
- Stewart Lodge
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 Empowering People
Does Empowering People run group homes for people with developmental disabilities?
Yes. Empowering People, Inc. is a certified Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities provider that operates intermediate care facilities (ICF/IID) and community group homes, along with Home and Community-Based waiver services, for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Where does Empowering People operate?
It is headquartered in Warren, Ohio, and operates homes and services in several Ohio counties, including Trumbull, Clark (Springfield/South Vienna), Stark, and Ashtabula. Home names include Takoda Trails, Vienna Meadows, Whispering Pines of Springfield, Manor Home, and Stewart Lodge.
Who owns Empowering People?
It is privately held. Its own materials and the OPRA ICF roster identify Kurt Miller as owner, president, and CEO; he became owner in 2012.
Is Empowering People the same company as Foundations Health Services?
Based on available public records, no. Foundations Health Services / Foundations Health Solutions is a separate skilled-nursing company led by Brian Colleran. No authoritative source verifies common ownership or management with Empowering People.
What are the main allegations against Empowering People?
A pending wrongful-death lawsuit alleges that, after taking over a Tallmadge group home in 2023, the company cut staffing and training and that a resident was assaulted by a staff member and restrained in a way that led to a fatal pressure injury. These allegations are unproven and are being contested in court.
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.
- Empowering People, Inc. — Our Team (ownership, leadership, homes, services)
- OPRA ICF roster — Empowering People, Inc. (Kurt Miller, President/CEO; ICF services)
- Ohio General Assembly — Kurt Miller testimony (House Finance subcommittee, ICF funding)
- Ohio Auditor of State — Miller Holdings Summit dba Springfield Home AUP (Medicaid ICF)
- Cleveland 19 — wrongful-death suit over Tallmadge group home (Empowering People)
- Fox 19 — wrongful-death suit over Tallmadge group home (Empowering People)
- Care Listings — Takoda Trails ICF/IID (Fairfield, OH; 54 beds)
- Care Listings — Vienna Meadows ICF/IID (South Vienna, OH)
- Ohio DODD — ICF/IID Provider Review Tool (regulatory framework)
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.
