Finding a home, answered plainly

How do you find a group home for an adult with disabilities?

The options, the funding, and where to start — whatever the disability.

An adult with a disability — intellectual/developmental (I/DD), physical, or behavioral-health — can live in a small group home or supported-living home with individualized support. The funding usually runs through a Medicaid HCBS waiver (services) plus the resident’s SSI (room and board). The exact waiver and agency depend on the disability type and the state.

Start with the disability type

The right door depends on the need. Intellectual/developmental disability or autism: see housing for adults with autism/IDD. Serious mental illness: see long-term housing for adults with SMI. Veterans: see how veteran housing is paid for. Physical-disability support is usually funded the same way — a Medicaid waiver plus SSI.

How it gets paid

In most cases a Medicaid HCBS waiver pays the support services and the resident’s SSI pays room and board. If Medicaid isn’t in place yet, see how to pay without Medicaid. Cost details: how much a group home costs.

Source: Medicaid.gov, HCBS — medicaid.gov.

Where to start

Contact your state Medicaid or developmental-disability agency for an eligibility assessment and to apply for the waiver, or ask a hospital discharge planner or care manager to start it. What the home is called varies by state — see board and care / adult family home. Free options counseling: your local ADRC via the Eldercare Locator, 800-677-1116.

Want a heads-up when we open near you?

We’re pre-license — no beds yet — and building where the need is greatest. Add your email and we’ll tell you the moment a home opens in your state. Free, no spam, no obligation. Case managers can also refer someone and track it with no login.

Notify me when you openRefer someone

Related

About Mai Heaven: we are pre-licensure and not yet housing anyone — this page is educational, not eligibility advice. When our homes open, Medicaid HCBS + SSI are the routes we’re building for. Referring providers: our professionals hub has the funding & credentialing detail. Need help now? Call or text 988, or dial 211.