Frequently Asked Questions – AFH Basics
The Washington State Department of Social & Health Services website provides all of the information you may need in your AFH Licensing journey. The information is listed out below & you can find that information here:
Prospective Provider Information
To be an adult family home provider you will be required to care for the most vulnerable members of our society, including persons with challenging behaviors, physical and developmental disabilities, mental illness and the elderly. If you become licensed, you assume a serious responsibility that will have a large impact on you and your family members’ lives.
Adult family homes are heavily regulated. If you become licensed, you will have to meet all of the many licensing requirements. In addition, you will have to provide the care and services that your residents need day and night.
As an adult family home provider, you will find out that, while it can be a rewarding experience, it is also very tiring and stressful to work and be available to residents day and night. As a result, you may decide that you need to hire staff to be awake and available to care for residents at all times.
We know that a number of providers close their adult family homes after only one or two years. This is usually because they did not realize how difficult it would be to share their home with others, how hard the work would be, or how hard it may be to attract residents and operate a business. When a home closes, this negatively impacts residents and their families, as well as providers and their families.
Before you decide to apply to become an adult family home provider, you should consider why you want to become a licensed provider and how you will maintain your adult family home business over time. The self assessment at the end of this guide, along with the other information, may help you decide whether or not you want to go forward with the process to apply to become a licensed adult family home provider.
AFH Definition
What is an Adult Family Home (AFH)?
An AFH is a residential home licensed to care for two to six adults not related by blood or marriage to the person or persons providing the services.
The AFH provides room and meals, laundry, supervision, assistance with activities of daily living and personal care. Some homes provide nursing or other special care.
A licensed AFH is generally at a residential home address.
An adult family home is a single family residence, a duplex unit, or other type of dwelling for one or two families [per IRC #R101]. Each unit must have:
Separate staffing;
Separate call systems;
Separate living quarters;
Separate addresses;
Either a fire wall or floor separating the two units; and
No internal door in common.
What is not an Adult Family Home (AFH)?
An apartment in an apartment building or condominium cannot be licensed as an AFH because this type of dwelling is for more than two families.
License Needed
When is a license required?
You have to have an AFH license before you can provide personal care, special care, room and meals for two to six adults, unrelated to you, in your home.
When is a license not required?
An AFH license is not required:
To provide care for your own relatives in your home;
To provide care for one person – unrelated to you – in your home;
To take care of a relative (such as your mother) and one other person not related to you in your home; or
If you are providing only room and meals in exchange for rent.
Costs
WHAT ARE THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH OBTAINING AN ADULT FAMILY HOME LICENSE?
A non-refundable $2,750 license and processing fee must be turned in with the license application. The following costs vary by instructor, county, location, fees and codes.
48-hour AFH Administrator training provided by community colleges (a list of community colleges is available on the department’s website at https://fortress.wa.gov/dshs/adsaapps/Professional/training/training.aspx)
First Aid and CPR training for applicants and all staff;
Tuberculosis (TB) tests for applicants and staff;
75 hours of basic/long-term care worker training;
Home Care Aide Certification Testing and Certification by DOH
Specialty training if you plan to take residents with dementia, developmental disabilities, or mental illness;
Building inspection by local building inspectors; and
Structural changes to your home that may be needed to meet state or local building codes or safety issues.