Visit us at: www.startanadultfosterhome.com Use our pre-written program materials to do-it-yourself and license your own adult foster care home in any State.

1. How to Start an Adult Foster Home All by Yourself: Five Essential Tips
To Remember
Many have stayed clear of opening a group home for fear of the massive paper work or program
requirements necessary to open the facility, but we have taken the pain out of the entire process.
After many years in the industry, 10 home and more than 40 employees, there are some thing that I
have learned and are willing to share. Start a Foster Home, LLC was created to offer assistance with the
most daunting part of adult foster care home licensing and that is with program development and
training. We are based in Michigan, however our online presence makes life that much easier for
anyone that desire to start a foster home for adults by using our well written and fully modifiable
program materials.
Specific program material include program statement, emergency evacuation plan, organizational chart,
personnel policies, resident and employee handbook and a collection of essential forms for operating
the day to day affairs of the business. Each of these item were exclusively created for the adult foster
care or group home business. They are well written and can be easily modified to your liking or licensing
environment. Once purchased, our products can be instantly downloaded and you can began working
on licensing your business.
In addition, we also offer full support to our customers to assist with the modification process and
generation of program solutions for their specific business and licensing needs. To see the program and
training solutions we offer, visit us at: www.startafosterhome.com.
After years in the industry I give you the following five tips for opening a group home and running it
well:
1. Plan Your Business Well: This can be an ugly and tedious process but it will pay off. Put plenty of
time into how you are going manage every aspect of your business. Create flow charts,
hypothetical situations and action plans for handling everything from transporting a client to a
doctor's appointment to staff call in and emergencies. Also, having quality program material
presented to your State licensing consultant the first time, can get you through the process
much easier than using just anything or something someone gave you.
2. Multiple Revenue Streams: The life blood of your adult foster care home is that of head counts
or having resident in the home. Empty beds don't pay bills so you will have to have sources or
placements agency on speed dial and ready to initially place residents and fill empty beds. Being
contracted with more than one placement agency or source is always the best position to be in.
3. Minimize the Use of Family and Friends: I say this as respectful as possible, all family members
are not "right" nor are they capable of working with special populations such as the mentally
impaired, developmentally disable or traumatic brain injured. In fact, in many instances it is
difficult for some to properly discipline family when necessary.

2. 4. Know They Neighbors: While it is a right for the disables to live in the community up to so many
per home, knowing your neighbor and having a good relationship with them can keep down
unnecessary tension and problems.
5. Run it Like a Fortune 500 Company: I have many run their group home operations like Mom and
Pop business and to the demised of the company. As the Administrator or head of your
organization, you should run it like as business and never deter from this attitude. Keep regular
hours for visiting your home, if your don't already work within it. Discipline employees, be well
read with licensing matters and stay in compliance. Be proactive with internal issues, home
repairs and community changes.
Hopefully these tips help. To see our program and training solutions offered, visit us at:
www.startafosterhome.com.
President & CEO
Start a Foster Home, LLC