Janet Oberholtz and Gary Randel of Country View Estates.
Gary Randel and Janet Oberholtz, co-administrators, share what the organization does and its history.
By Rich Wicks | Guthrie Center Times, September 2026
Residential service for adults with intellectual disabilities has undergone a major change over the past century. In Iowa, this is easily seen in what was once commonly referred to as the “county homes” or “poor farms,” which were often large buildings in the country.
Decades ago, these facilities housed many of the disabled persons in Iowa counties, but those buildings now have been repurposed or torn down due to age. Legislation in the 1960s through the 1980s mandated that persons with disabilities should be served in community settings whenever possible.
Because of this paradigm shift, most communities now have group homes and/or supervised apartments where persons with special needs can receive the help they need while also being involved in their community.
Country View Estates operates several such group homes in Guthrie Center. Gary Randel and Janet Oberholtz are co-administrators at Country View Estates, and they took a few moments to describe what the organization does and its history.
“Janet started in 1983 out at the facility when it was Guthrie County Care Facility. I started in 1984,” Randel said. “Then, in 1991, through the changes in the state, we formed a nonprofit corporation and went private. We leased the facility from the county out there for a number of years. We started transitioning into group homes in Guthre Center in 2012. Now we have four houses.”
A total of 18 individuals receive residential services in the homes operated by Country View Estates. Instead of the old-school terminology of calling these individuals “patients” or “residents,” the term used at Country View Estates is “members.”
“The members actually rent the houses and pay all the bills, the rent and the utilities,” Randel said. “We rent the Methodist Church parsonage, we have a house on North 12th Street and two on North Seventh Street.”
The Medicaid Waiver system has been a large factor in moving services away from large “county home” facilities and instead providing needed services in more typical housing units. But old assumptions do not change overnight, so Oberholtz and Randel still often hear the term “county home.”
“I take a lot of pride in what we’ve done and how far we’ve come,” Randel said. “We’re not affiliated with the county in any way since we left out there.”
Part of the service funding mandates that each member receives only the help he or she needs rather than one plan for all.
“Everybody has a different need and a different care plan,” Randel said. “We try to help people be as independent as they possibly can be.”
“We also operate the can redemption center downtown,” Randel said. “That’s a great resource for work. We also have a team that cleans down at the fairgrounds and campgrounds down there. We clean the Christian Church and the Fellowship Hall and the activity center downtown,” Randel said. “And a lot of our members work in the community.”
“I think the public really appreciates the redemption center,” Oberholtz said.
Randel noted that some area organizations, including Panorama Schools, Rose Acre Farm and Dollar General, have hired members who receive services from Country View Estates.
Besides Randel and Oberholtz, Country View Estates employs about 25 staff to work at the group homes in Guthrie Center. Because the organization provides services around the clock, every day of the year, there is usually at least some need for additional staff.
“We’re always hiring, it seems to me,” Randel said. “I’ve got staff that will work 130 hours in a two-week pay period, so they’re getting a lot of overtime.”
The office of Country View Estates is at 100 Industrial Road in Guthrie Center, just across the highway from Café on the Hill.
Oberholtz noted that Country View Estates not only provides daily services in and around Guthrie Center but also supports members in taking trips and vacations on occasion, such as a group trip to Branson, Missouri.
“That’s what makes you feel really good,” Oberholtz said.
Unlike some similar organizations, Country View Estates is a stand-alone agency and is not affiliated with any larger organization or religious group. One of the main goals of the organization is to assist members to live as independently as possible.
“We’re not very big, but we try to do a good job. You don’t do what we’ve done for 40-some years and not care about the people we serve,” Randel said. “It all goes back to the people that we provide services to. They are why we are here.”