Family Care Homes

Family care home services are provided in a single family residence that accommodates clients with specialized care needs that cannot be optimally met in a long-term care home.

Family care homes provide a home-like atmosphere, nutritious meals, laundry and housekeeping services and supervision, along with any required assistance with daily living activities, such as bathing, grooming and dressing.

Family care homes are unlicensed and can house no more than two clients.

Is this care right for me?

Family care home services may be suitable if you:

• have an immediate need for long-term care services and are unable to find other suitable alternatives; or
• would benefit from a more home-like environment.

What are the family care home services eligibility criteria?

In addition to the general eligibility criteria for home and community care services, to be eligible for family care home services you need to:

• be assessed as requiring family care home services;
• be appropriately matched with the residence;
• be compatible with existing clients; and
• have agreed to pay the assessed long-term care services client rate.

To read the general eligibility criteria for all home and community care services, go to:

• Are You Eligible?

How do I arrange for family care home services?

If you are interested in receiving family care home services or know of someone who might be in need of these services, you can contact the home and community care office of your health authority or you can have a health care professional make a referral on your behalf.

For contact information and a detailed description of how to arrange for family care home services, please see:

• How to Arrange for Care

Is there a cost for family care home services?

If you receive publicly subsidized family care home services, you will pay a monthly rate of up to 80 per cent of your after tax income towards the cost of housing and hospitality services, subject to a minimum and maximum monthly rate. Your monthly rate is calculated based on your “after tax income” (as defined in the Continuing Care Fees Regulation) in one of two ways:

If your after tax income is less than $19,500 per year, your monthly rate is calculated as your after tax income less $3,900 and divided by 12 (Formula A).

Note: The $3,900 deduction ($325 per month X 12 months) is set to ensure that most clients have at least $325 of income remaining per month after paying their monthly rate.

If your after tax income is equal to or greater than $19,500 per year, your monthly rate is calculated as your after tax income multiplied by 80 per cent and divided by 12 (Formula B).

For more information on how your after tax income is calculated, please see:

• Continuing Care Fees Regulation

The minimum monthly rate is adjusted each year based on changes to the Old Age Security/Guaranteed Income Supplement rate as of July 1 of the previous year. For 2024, the minimum monthly rate for a client receiving family care home services is $1,417.00 per month.

The maximum client rate is adjusted each year based on changes to the Consumer Price Index over the previous year. For 2024, the maximum monthly rate for a client receiving family care home services is $3,974.10 per month.

If you receive support and/or shelter allowance under the Employment and Assistance Act or the Employment and Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act, you will pay a fixed monthly rate for your family care home services. For more information on these fixed monthly rates, please contact your health authority.

For more general information on the costs of publicly subsidized home and community care services in B.C., please see:

• Who Pays for Care?

If payment of your assessed monthly rate would cause you or your family serious financial hardship, you may apply to your health authority for a temporary reduction of your monthly rate. For more information, please see "What if I cannot afford my assessed monthly rate?”, below.

What if I cannot afford my assessed monthly rate?

If you are receiving family care home services and payment of your assessed monthly rate would cause you or your family serious financial hardship, you may be eligible for a reduced rate.

Serious financial hardship means that payment of your assessed monthly rate would result in you (or your spouse, if applicable) being unable to pay for:

• adequate food;
• monthly mortgage/rent;
• sufficient home heat;
• prescribed medication; or
• other required prescribed health care services.

For more information on eligibility and how to apply for a temporary rate reduction of your monthly rate, please see:

• Temporary Reduction of Your Client Rate