House parents lived at the respective homes and cared for the children as they would their own.  One of the original house mothers, "Mother Armstrong," was forced to leave her position after she broke her hip.  Despite leaving her position, she maintained contact throughout the years with 85 of her "adopted sons," even corresponding with them while they were away in the service.

As time went by, both agencies witnessed the turning tide in social services with the phasing out of orphanages.  The type of children coming into both Homes began to change in the late 1960's.  The typical orphan was going into foster care and the children's homes received kids with emotional and behavioral problems.

As demands for old style children's homes dwindled, Webster Hall and Cantrell Hall pooled resources and merged in 1974.  This merger created Webster-Cantrell Hall.  The "new" home would house both boys and girls.  Because the old Girls' Home needed so much work to bring it up to local fire codes, the agency would be located at the Cantrell Street location.

After the merger, Webster-Cantrell Hall began housing children who were identified as dependent and neglected children.  These children came from abusive homes, having emotional and behavioral problems.  Their placement at the agency was in lieu of putting them in the old Juvenile Detention Center.

Also at that time, a Youth Services Program began with 25 boys and girls to satisfy the needs for upgraded services.  Five years later, the agency's Foster Care Program began.