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Become a Licensed APD Adult Foster Home Provider

Provide care and a home-like setting for older adults and people with physical disabilities in your community

Adult foster care is ideal for people who want to work from home and own their own business. Adult foster homes provide personal care and services to older adults and people with disabilities who need support and prefer to live in a home-like setting.

Learn about the benefits of being an adult foster home provider, what the work involves, how to become a provider and what training is available.

Learn how to apply FAQs Email us
 

Watch a short video about the program.

 

How to apply

​Multnomah County licenses and oversees their Adult Care Homes (ACH) locally. Learn how to open an ACH in Multnomah County​.

All other Oregon counties, go to Step 1​.​

As a licensed provider, you will be responsible for understanding and following all of Oregon’s rules for adult foster home providers. These are called Oregon Administrative Rules or “OARs”. ​Our rules are in Chapter 411 and are divided into four divisions. Start by reading divisions 49 and 50 to see if you have the right experience and if your home meets the facility standards.​

  • Check to see if your home (or any home you are considering) meets the division 50 facility standards.
  • Contact your local licensing office and ask for an Adult Foster Home Orientation.
  • If you still want to apply:
    • Go to Step 3 and take required training​.
    • Start any required remodeling or continue looking for a home to remodel. Work with your local licensing office to ​make sure the home meets the facility standards.​

The following training courses are require​d:

Each training notes which roles are required to take the course:​

  • L = Licensee
  • CL = Co-Licensee
  • A = Administrator
  • RM = Resident Manager
  • CG = Caregiver

​Turn in your completed application and all required documents. Your local licensing office will give you the application materials.

Note: Turning in an appl​ication ​does not guarantee licensure.

​Before you start provid​ing care for residents:

Activities note which roles are required to complete the activity:​​

  • L = Licensee
  • CL = Co-Licensee
  • A = Administrator
  • RM = Resident Manager
  • CG = Caregiver​​

​Once you start working with residents, take these additional courses:

Within 1-2 months of licensure (recommended):

Within 3-4 months of licensure (recommended):

One year and beyond:

  • Complete ​​12 hours of department-approv​ed training​ each year
  • Maintain CPR and First Aid​ certification
  • ​Safety, Oversight and Quality (SOQ) self-study courses
  • Home and Community Based Services (every year)
  • LGBTQIA2S+ Rights and Protections (every other year)

Frequently asked questions

Adult foster homes are single-family residences that offer 24-hour care in a home-like setting. Adult foster care is an option for older adults or adults with physical disabilities who are not able to care for themselves in their own homes.​

A wide variety of people are served in adult foster homes. This ranges from people who need only room, board and minimal personal assistance to people who need full personal care or skilled nursing care with the help of community-based registered nurses.

Learn more in the Guide to Oregon Adult Foster Homes. This guide is also available ​in Spanish, Una guía a los Hogares de Cuidado Temporal para Adultos de Oregon​.

Adult foster homes provide care and services to residents while supporting each person's independence, choice and right to make decisions. Adult foster homes provide the opportunity for residents to live in a safe and caring family-like environment.

Adult foster home providers may help with:

  • Eating
  • Dressing
  • Bowel and bladder care
  • Bathing and grooming
  • Walking, which may include getting in and out of a bed or chair
  • Behavioral issues as needed

They also perform general tasks including:

  • Laundry
  • Managing medications
  • Preparing meals
  • Arranging transportation

Adult foster care allows the licensee to:

  • Make a difference in the lives of others while making a living in their own home
  • Have the satisfaction of operating their own business
  • Gain tax benefits that are available to licensees who:
    • Live in the adult foster home
    • Enroll to accept Medicaid recipients
    • Provide care to Medicaid recipients
  • Gain personal and financial benefits while they and their family experience the joys of​ a multi-generational household

Proving adult foster care is ideal for people who want ​to work from home, own their own business and provide personal care and services outside of an institutional setting.

Every potential adult foster home licensee must meet certain standards in order to become licensed to operate an adult foster home.

Minimum requirements to become licensed as an adult foster home provider in Oregon include:

  • Be of good character
  • Pass a background check
  • Be at least 21 years old
  • Have a home that meets the program's structural and safety requirements
  • Have the financial resources to open and maintain an adult foster home business
  • Be literate in the English language
  • Guarantee that the licensed provider or a qualified resident manager lives in the adult foster home
  • Complete an adult foster home basic training course and pass an exam based on that course
  • Be physically and mentally fit and able to provide care to five or fewer older adults or adults with physical disabilities
  • Be able to maintain qualified caregivers who can meet the needs of each resident

​Email us at apd.afhteam@odhsoha.oregon.gov​ to learn more about the application process.


Looking for more information or have questions? Email us.