Welcome to Evergreen Presbyterian Ministries Inc. Evergreen has enjoyed a proud history of providing excellent services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities dating back to 1959. A Presbyterian minister, a handful of staff and four young men who had both mental retardation and behavioral conduct problems moved to an abandoned schoolhouse out in the pinewoods of Northwest Louisiana in a community called Evergreen. From 1959 to the late 1970s, an institution was born and grew to a capacity of 240 clients.

In 1980, Evergreen began its conversion from an institutional to a community-based setting with the opening of two group homes. The movement away from the institutional setting culminated with the closing of the institution in the summer of 1995. Today, Evergreen supports and serves nearly 800 individuals in Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Arkansas. While a majority of these individuals are served in community homes, recent years have seen an increasing emphasis on the development of supported and independent living programs. In addition to these residential services, Evergreen is offering respite, family support, personal care attendant services, crisis intervention and a wide variety of vocational programs emphasizing supported employment.

The keys to Evergreen's successful growth include a progressive and dedicated board of directors appointed by the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., and a committed staff. Evergreen employees consistently express high levels of job satisfaction on anonymous questionnaires and demonstrate a consistently low turnover rate.

The Evergreen Foundation promulgates the mission statement of EPMI. The foundation encourages and motivates the making of donations for the support, maintenance, promotion and advancement of the various programs and objectives of EPMI in its ministries.

We invite you to learn more about our existing ministry of love and compassion by personally visiting one of our community homes or workshops in our five-state area.