Holmes County board bids farewell to Lynn Hope, adds dental clinic

Holmes County families who have depended on Lynn Hope Industries for work-skills training and supported employment are seeing that relationship change at the same time the Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities is adding a new dental clinic in Holmesville. The shift puts one longtime service network in transition while opening another path for children and adults who need care close to home.

Lynn Hope Industries, Inc. has been part of the adult program at the Holmes County Training Center, where it offered work-skills training that could lead to supported employment or job placement. Nonprofit records describe Lynn Hope as sheltered employment for developmentally disabled adults who live in Holmes County, with employment and training as its primary services. The company was incorporated on March 16, 1970, giving it more than five decades of history in the county’s disability-services system.

That history is now changing. The Ohio Auditor of State’s 2022 Holmes County audit says Lynn Hope Industries is no longer presented as a component unit because its organization changed and the county board of DD no longer provides significant services and resources to it. For residents who have used the program, that means the practical support built around training and employment has entered a new phase, and families tied to the service will need to pay close attention to how those connections are handled so care and work support do not lapse.

At the same time, Holmes County DD is expanding a different part of its mission. The HCTC Dental Clinic, at 8001 Township Road 574 in Holmesville, provides basic, high-quality dental services to individuals with disabilities, Head Start children, and others who request services. The board says the clinic began with a donation from the Graven family, and Holmes County says it is the only county board of DD program in Ohio that operates a dental clinic. No local tax dollars are used to support the clinic.

That matters because dental care is one of the most common gaps for families navigating disability services, especially when transportation, specialized providers, and routine access are barriers. Holmes County DD says its broader services are funded through personal resources, county levy tax revenues and Medicaid waivers, and the board’s training center mission is to maximize potential, develop independence, and support individuals with special needs and their families through personalized programs and services. In practical terms, the county is saying farewell to one familiar support while building up another that can be used immediately by residents who need dental care.