In January 1983, a group of 'concerned friends' decided something had to be done when a friend, a mother of two intellectually disabled boys, had a breakdown. This breakdown was caused by the stress related to caring for her very high needs children. Thus, a committee was formed to research the need of a relief program for parents who had a son or daughter with an intellectual disability. The need proved to be significant, as there were no programs of this kind. The committee decided to focus on developing a program that would provide parents 'out-of-home' relief.