Adult Foster Care in Minnesota
Small, licensed residential homes offering family-style care for adults who need daily support in a real neighborhood home.
1,352 providers statewide · most in Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Duluth
Adult Foster Care providers
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Guides on adult foster care in Minnesota
- Adult foster care in Minnesota: the option most families never hear about — A licensed home in an ordinary neighbourhood, with a small number of residents and round-the-clock support. It is licensed by DHS rather than the Department of Health, funded mainly through Medicaid waivers, and almost invisible on national care sites.
- Group homes in Minnesota: what the term actually means, who licenses them, and how to find an opening — "Group home" is not a Minnesota license. It is what people call at least six different licensed settings — adult foster care, community residential settings, board and lodge, supervised living facilities, ICF/DDs and IRTS programmes. Here is how to tell them apart, who pays for what, and how a family or a case manager finds one with an opening.
- CADI waiver housing in Minnesota: where the waiver can pay for you to live — The CADI waiver pays for services in the community instead of a nursing facility — but it never pays the rent. Here are the four kinds of home a CADI resident usually lives in, what the waiver covers in each, who pays room and board, and how a family or a case manager finds a home that is actually taking CADI residents this month.
- The Minnesota Elderly Waiver, explained for families — Who qualifies, the $3,000 asset limit, exactly what DHS will pay per month by case mix, how long the application takes, and the room-and-board rule that surprises almost everyone.
Common questions about adult foster care in Minnesota
What is adult foster care in Minnesota?
Adult foster care provides housing, meals, and support in a licensed residential home — a real house in a real neighbourhood rather than an institutional building. Minnesota licenses two forms: family adult foster care, provided in the license holder's own primary residence, and corporate adult foster care. Homes serve seniors and adults with disabilities or mental health needs, with a caregiver living in or staff working shifts. A moratorium on new corporate adult foster care licenses is in effect, with limited exceptions.
Source: MN House Research, "Regulation of Health and Human Services Residential Facilities" (Dec 2021)
Who licenses adult foster care homes in Minnesota?
The Department of Human Services — not the Department of Health — licenses adult foster care, under Minnesota Rules 9555.5050 to 9555.6265, with county agencies involved in the process. The license specifies the populations the home may serve. Ask to see the current license and the home's most recent review before you place someone.
Source: MN House Research, "Regulation of Health and Human Services Residential Facilities" (Dec 2021)
How is adult foster care paid for in Minnesota?
Most residents use a Medicaid waiver — CADI, DD, BI, or the Elderly Waiver — to cover services, combined with Housing Support or their own income for room and board. Private pay is also possible. As with assisted living, waiver funding covers services and not room and board, so ask for those two numbers separately.
Source: Minnesota DHS, "Elderly Waiver services in assisted living" (DHS-7935-ENG, 7-2024)
How do I find an adult foster care opening?
Openings are scarce and often move through county case managers before they are ever advertised, so ask your case manager first and search directly in parallel. RightCare MN lists current openings when providers post them, and you can filter by county and by the waivers a provider accepts.
Figures and rules on this page are quoted from the sources named above and were last reviewed August 2026. Programs and rates change — verify anything you are relying on with the agency directly before you act on it.