Host Homes

The Host Home model is built on the belief in the importance of enduring and permanent relationships. The goal is to provide individuals with I/DD an opportunity to grow and develop to their greatest potential. This setting offers:

• A safe, nurturing, and person-centered living environment.
• Individualized attention based on the specific needs of the person served.
• Opportunities for learning life skills, developing self-esteem, and learning to exist in interdependence with others.
• The chance to participate in everyday community life, facilitated by the Host Home provider’s own friends, civic interests, neighbors, and activities.

Host Homes serve individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities who are eligible for DBHDD waiver services, such as the Comprehensive Supports Waiver Program (COMP) or New Options Waiver Program (NOW). Typically, a Host Home provides services to one or two individuals.

Host Home providers, as part of delivering CRA services, offer intense levels of residential supports and training focused on daily living skills. This includes a range of interventions with particular focus on areas like:

• Eating and drinking.
• Toileting.
• Personal grooming and health care.
• Dressing.
• Communication.
• Interpersonal relationships.
• Mobility.
• Home management (meal preparation, cleaning, shopping, etc.).
• Use of leisure time.

Providers also:

• Support individual goals as outlined in the Individual Service Plan (ISP).
• Ensure supervision and assistance with activities of daily living.
• May assist with therapeutic exercises, supervise self-administration of medication, and perform health maintenance activities.
• Implement positive behavioral support plans as needed.
• Accompany individuals and facilitate participation in community activities, appointments, etc..

Watchful Oversight and Support

Host Home providers are responsible for the 24-hour care of the individual(s) served. The provider agency (CHU) provides ongoing monitoring and support, including monthly home visits to ensure the individual’s well-being, health, safety, and progress towards their ISP goals. The agency also conducts an annual assessment of the Host Home site.

Documentation

Maintaining thorough and accurate documentation is a key responsibility. Providers are required to document the service provided to an individual each time service is delivered. For a daily service like CRA, this means documenting daily. Documentation must include specific details such as the specific activity, training, or assistance provided, the date and time, the location, verification by the person providing the service, and progress towards ISP goals. These records must be kept readily available.

What is the Host Home/Life-Sharing program? A Host Home/Life-Sharing arrangement is a private residence where the occupant owner or lessee provides Community Residential Alternative (CRA) services to one or two adult individuals (18 years of age or older) with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. The goal of the program is to foster enduring, permanent relationships, help individuals develop life skills, and integrate them into everyday community life in a caring household.

Who is eligible to become a Host Home provider? To be eligible, you cannot be related to the individual receiving services by blood or marriage. Additionally, you cannot be the individual’s legal guardian, the conservator of their property, or the agent in their advance directive for healthcare. The homeowner or lessee also cannot be an employee of the DBHDD-approved provider agency that holds the contract for the host home.

Do I have to own my home? No, renters are allowed. You must provide a copy of your current lease and ensure there are no conflicts with allowing additional residents. If your lease requires landlord permission, you can provide a Landlord Consent form that clarifies the program details and requests permission to participate in the program. Property insurance is required.

I rent my home and my lease mentions that additional guests require permission from my landlord. A lot of leases have similar provisions. You can provide the landlord with a Landlord Consent form that clarifies the program details and requests permission to participate in the program. Make sure your renter’s insurance covers “business pursuits.” 

Is a Host Home considered subletting? No. In Georgia, “subletting” usually means you are renting out your place to someone else and they are taking over part of your lease. A Host Home is different because you are providing a service (care and support) and the person moving in is a resident, not a tenant. You are still the one in charge of the whole house.

How many people can live in a Host Home? A Host Home can serve a maximum of two (2) adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities at any given time. The total number of family members, relatives, and non-relatives living in the home cannot exceed six (6) people. This six-person limit does not include the individuals receiving services.

Can I become a Host Home provider if I already have individuals receiving services in my home? No. Host Home applications cannot be submitted for any location that is currently licensed as a Personal Care Home (PCH) or Community Living Arrangement (CLA). If you hold a PCH or CLA license, you must relinquish that license prior to applying to become a Host Home. Furthermore, a Host Home provider cannot manage the day-to-day operations of another residential location.

If I already have an existing Host Home, can your agency provide me with additional clients? No, we cannot provide you with clients for an already existing Host Home. State regulations strictly mandate that only one (1) DBHDD-approved Community Residential Alternative (CRA) provider agency may enroll and provide CRA services at any given Host Home site. You can only be contracted with one CRA provider agency at a time.

What background checks and health screenings are required? A fingerprint-based national criminal records check and clearance is required for the prospective provider and all household members. Every member living in the prospective home must undergo a general health examination, as well as screening for tuberculosis (TB) if they have had a known exposure.

What type of training is required? The adult family member primarily responsible for the 24-hour care of the individual must complete competency-based training before an individual can be placed in the home. Required training topics include Basic Cardiac Life Support (BCLS)/CPR, First Aid, medication administration, human rights, person-centered values, and recognizing and reporting critical incidents.

Do Host Home providers get any time off? Yes. Host Home providers are eligible for “Alternate Care,” which provides temporary relief for up to 30 days per individual’s Individual Service Plan (ISP) year. This alternate care must be offered through other approved Host Homes managed by the same provider agency.

Are individuals allowed to go on vacation with the Host Home family? Yes, individuals can choose to go on vacation with the Host Home family. Vacation billing is allowed but must not exceed thirty (30) days in an ISP year, and the trip cannot be outside of the United States or its territories.

Can I keep my hunting rifle? Yes, but it has to be locked up, and the bullets have to be locked in a separate spot!

What if I want to go to a wedding for a weekend? That’s okay! You can use “Respite Care,” which is a backup helper who takes over while you’re gone.

Do I have to pay taxes on the money? Usually, no! Because you live in the same house, the government considers that money tax-free.