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What Is a Group Home?
A group home is a small licensed house that provides room, board, and care for adults. Other states call the same idea an Adult Family Home, adult foster home, or adult family care home.
What is a group home? In plain language it is a small, licensed house — not a hospital and not a 100-bed campus — where adults receive a place to live plus help with daily care. People also search what is a group home for adults, adult family home vs group home, and adult family care home. Those phrases often describe the same kind of setting under different state names.
What a group home usually includes
Most licensed small homes provide a bedroom (private or shared), meals, laundry, supervision, and help with activities of daily living. Staffing, training, and fire-safety rules come from the state license, not from a national brand standard.
Adult Family Home vs group home
Washington uses the name Adult Family Home. Licensing sits under DSHS and WAC 388-76. A Washington AFH is commonly licensed for up to six residents. If you are comparing Adult Family Home vs group home, start with the license name in that state, then compare bed count, payer mix, and inspection rules — not the marketing label.
Related names
- Adult foster home or adult foster care (Oregon, Michigan, and others)
- Adult family care home (Florida and some other states)
- Personal care home or residential care home
- Assisted living, which is usually a larger building with apartments
Read what is an Adult Family Home and adult foster care if you need the Washington or foster-care wording.
Group home vs assisted living
A group home or AFH is typically a house with a handful of residents. Assisted living is typically a larger facility with apartments, posted rates, and a different license. Cost, privacy, and staffing feel different. Compare quotes in the care cost comparison calculator and the AFH vs assisted living guide.
How to find one near you
In Washington, search the Adult Family Homes near me directory by city, county, ZIP, or DSHS license. Confirm the license on the official DSHS lookup. This site does not show live vacancies and does not rank homes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a group home?
A group home is usually a licensed residential house where a small number of adults receive room, board, supervision, and help with daily living. Exact names and bed limits are set by each state.
What is a group home for adults?
It is a community home for adults who need more support than they can get living alone, but not necessarily a large assisted living building or a nursing facility.
Is an Adult Family Home a group home?
In everyday language, yes. Washington licenses small homes as Adult Family Homes (commonly up to six residents). Other states say group home, adult foster home, or adult family care home.
How many beds are in an Adult Family Home?
Washington Adult Family Homes are commonly licensed for up to six residents. The license, not the floor plan, sets the legal bed count.