UMRA, Inc began in 1994 with the goal of serving persons with developmentally disabilities in church related, loving homes. There were many growing pains with the young company. The faith and hope of so many of the leaders of UMRA at the time was finally rewarded in 1998 with the admission of two men at the home in Gadsden. In May of 1999, another home in Gadsden opened and then in 2002 the third home in the Gadsden area opened.

The Decatur portion of the company came into being in May of 1999 when UMRA assumed ownership of three homes from a previous owner. Along with the homes from this owner came a Day Training Center. This was soon relocated to First United Methodist Church into the former parsonage.  Soon an additional home was purchased and now there are six homes in the Decaur area.  In 2005, the main office, along with the Day Training Center, was moved to Funland Park in Decatur.  In 2007, the office in Gadsden was relocated to the new Mountain Lakes District office on Wills Creek Road.

Currently between the homes in both areas, UMRA serves twenty-nine clients in its residential settings and nine persons at the Day Center.