If you're looking for a group home in North Carolina — for an adult with a disability, someone leaving a hospital or treatment, a veteran, or an aging parent who can no longer live alone — here is how the system actually works in this state, in plain terms.
What it's called here
In North Carolina these homes are often called family care homes (the smaller ones), adult care homes, or — for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — supervised living or a group home. There is no national word for them, and searching the wrong term is one reason families conclude nothing exists nearby. Try the North Carolina term and "group home" together. The full state-by-state list is in our FAQ.
Who licenses them
In North Carolina, adult care and family care homes are licensed by the Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR), and services for intellectual and developmental disabilities run through the LME/MCOs — now Tailored Plans — under NC DHHS. Any provider should be able to give you a license number issued by DHSR, and you can verify it yourself; DHSR publishes inspection and violation records. A provider who will not show you a license and a recent inspection report is one to walk away from.
Who pays
Most residents do not pay privately. In North Carolina, funding usually runs through NC Medicaid (delivered through managed care and the behavioral-health/IDD Tailored Plans), the NC Innovations Waiver for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and State-County Special Assistance plus SSI toward room and board in adult care homes. Medicare does not pay for group home room and board — one of the most common and expensive misunderstandings. How the pieces fit together is explained plainly in our questions answered.
How to get in
- Contact your LME/MCO (Tailored Plan) or your county Department of Social Services and ask for a needs and level-of-care assessment.
- Get on the Innovations Waiver "Registry of Unmet Needs" as early as possible — in North Carolina this list is long (often reported at many years), and it does not start counting until you are on it. Ask, too, about services a Tailored Plan can begin sooner.
- Line up documents: ID, a general diagnosis summary, funding information, and guardianship paperwork if any.
- A hospital discharge planner or case manager can start a referral directly — often the fastest route in.
Know your rights
Wherever someone lands, they keep specific rights — to dignity, to their own money, to raise a complaint, and to protection from an unfair discharge. Read resident rights and how to report a problem before you need them.
Help today, and what we're building
For the agencies and helplines that can act right now, see where to get help today. Mai Heaven is working toward small, permanent licensed homes in North Carolina — we are pre-licence and not yet admitting residents, but you can join the waiting list and we will reach out the day a home opens here.