Options Residential in West St. Paul, MN

Pros

• Options Residential is an amazing company that actually cares about the success of its clients.
• The management is extremely well trained in mental health, traumatic brain injuries, and co-occurring chemical dependency, with a focus on independent skill building.
• Clients are empowered and set up for success.
• The staff advocate on behalf of clients above and beyond what is expected.
• The service provided is very good.

Cons

• The facility exhibits a horrible lack of communication among staff and provides poor care to residents.
• The care provided is poor.
• The group homes sweet-talk potential clients with promises of care and support and then let them down.
• A large portion of staff do not perform cleaning duties, leaving sanitation concerns ignored and medication doses missed.
• Residents will not thrive or heal in this environment.
• The organization focuses on bandaid solutions rather than addressing root issues.
• The program director is a joke and does not seem to care about clients' well-being.

Review

Options Residential in West St. Paul is best suited for adults whose needs center on mental health support, traumatic brain injury recovery, and co-occurring chemical dependency with an emphasis on building independent skills. When the program’s recovery-oriented approach is backed by consistent, engaged staff, clients can make tangible progress and families may see empowerment and advocacy driving better outcomes. This setting rewards persistence and close collaboration with care teams, and it can work well for individuals who respond to structured programming, clear goals, and strong clinical framing.

Those considering alternatives should note that this community is not ideal for everyone, especially for those who require unwavering daily care. If reliable medication administration, consistent cleaning and sanitation, prompt response to complaints, and steady communication with families are non-negotiables, other options are likely a safer fit. Critics of the program point to gaps in day-to-day care, miscommunication among staff, missed doses, and sanitation concerns that recur despite repeated assurances. For families needing a predictable, hands-on environment with transparent oversight, exploring other providers may prevent ongoing frustration and risk.

The strongest positives here hinge on a staff and leadership cadre trained in complex clinical needs. Advocates credit the program’s management with deep expertise in mental health, traumatic brain injury, and dual-diagnosis treatment, along with a focus on independent skill-building and client empowerment. When those elements align with reliable frontline execution, residents can experience meaningful growth and a sense of advocacy backing their progress. The counterbalance is that without consistent application of these strengths, without reliable care plans, daily monitoring, and proper medication management, the potential gains unravel quickly and the benefits fail to offset the conspicuous downsides.

Families evaluating this community should demand concrete assurances before any move. Key questions to guide the process include: how medications are administered, documented, and reconciled; what the staffing ratios look like on all shifts; how quickly concerns are logged and resolved; what the routine sanitation and housekeeping protocols entail; and how care plans are updated in response to evolving needs. A prospective tour should include conversations with direct care staff about typical days, a review of incident or complaint records, and an observable sense of accountability among leadership. Clear, measurable quality indicators must be part of the contract, with regular reporting to families.

In practice, the decision rests on risk tolerance and the individual’s care needs. If the priority is robust clinical oversight and a programmatic emphasis on empowerment, with a family prepared to engage actively in oversight and problem-solving, this community may deliver progress that other providers cannot. If, however, safety, medication reliability, and a consistently clean environment are non-negotiable, this setting may prove inadequate without substantial assurances and a proven track record of operational stability. The presence of both highly positive and deeply negative experiences among residents signals a fundamental variability that demands due diligence and a candid assessment of whether the care team can consistently translate training into day-to-day reliability.

Overall, Options Residential presents a polarized profile. It can be a strong fit for individuals who can benefit from targeted clinical supports and an advocacy-forward culture, provided that operations are stabilized and accountability is continuous. For families where the daily, concrete assurances around care, cleanliness, and prompt communication are non-negotiable, this option should be approached with caution or set aside in favor of providers with demonstrably steadier performance. The current rating of 2.8 from nine reviews reflects the harsh reality: outcomes hinge on the facility’s ability to convert its documented strengths into reliable, everyday care. A disciplined, up-close evaluation, centered on staffing, medication safety, and practical care routines, will determine whether this community truly fits the unique needs of the individual.

Restaurants

• Burger Time (0.8 miles)
• Citizen Supper Club (1.7 miles)
• Cossetta's Italian Market & Pizzeria (1.7 miles)
• The Bulldog Lowertown (2.1 miles)
• Pool and Yacht Club (2.3 miles)
• White Castle (2.7 miles)
• Boulevard Bar & Grille (2.8 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (0.9 miles)
• Walgreens (2.2 miles)
• Walgreens (2.7 miles)
• Walgreens (3.1 miles)
• Walgreens (4.1 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (4.2 miles)
• Walgreens (4.6 miles)

Physicians

• West Side Community Health Services (1.1 miles)
• Entira Family Clinics-West St Paul (1.9 miles)
• Dakota Medical Solutions (2.3 miles)
• Parkway Family Physicians (3.5 miles)
• Dermatology Consultants P.A. (4 miles)
• Twin Cities Orthopedics Eagan - Viking Lakes (4.4 miles)
• Soundpoint Audiology (4.9 miles)

Hospitals

• United Hospital Joint Relacement Center (1.6 miles)
• St Joseph's Hospital-St Paul (2 miles)
• Regions Hospital Burn Center (2.4 miles)
• VA Medical Center (5.5 miles)
• Woodwinds Health Campus-Woodbury (5.8 miles)

Transportation

• Union Depot (1.9 miles)
• Concourse A (5.8 miles)
• Minnesota State Fair Transit Hub (5.8 miles)
• Concourse C (6 miles)
• Delta Sky Club (6 miles)
• Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) (6.1 miles)
• Concourse D (6.1 miles)

Places of Worship

• Cathedral of St Paul (1.9 miles)
• St George Greek Orthodox Church (2.9 miles)
• WW Studio (3.5 miles)
• St Jerome Elementary School (5.3 miles)
• Transfiguration Catholic Church (6.5 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (2.8 miles)
• Groundswell (4 miles)
• Roundtable Cof (5.9 miles)
• Panera Bread (6.6 miles)

Parks

• Roosevelt Field (3.8 miles)
• Hidden Falls Park (4.8 miles)
• Como Park (4.9 miles)
• Minnehaha Falls Dog Park (5.2 miles)
• Wabun Picnic Area (5.4 miles)
• Heritage Village Park (5.5 miles)
• Flicek Park (5.8 miles)

Theaters

• AMC Inver Grove 16 (4 miles)