Definitions

Adult Care Facilities – An adult care facility is a residence licensed or certified to provide a supervised living environment for unrelated adults, residents are not related to the caregiver, eighteen years or older who have difficulty living independently but do not require 24-hour care.

• Adult Foster Home – A residence which provides accommodation, supervision, and personal care services for one or two unrelated adults. An Adult Foster Home is certified by the appropriate Area Agency on Aging in accordance with rules for certification established by the Ohio Department of Aging. For Southwestern Ohio, please call Council on Aging^SM RSS Provider Developer at 513-345-8604.
   
• Adult Family Home – An adult care facility that provides accommodations and support services for three to five unrelated adults and personal care services to at least three of those adults. Adult Family Homes obtain their license through the Ohio Department of Health. For information to start a Family Home please call 614-466-7713.
   
• Adult Group Home - An adult care facility that provides accommodations and support services for 6 to 16 unrelated adults and personal care services to at least three individuals. Also licensed by the Ohio Department of Health. For information to start a Group Home please call 614-466-7713.

Assisted Living – A congregate residential setting that provides or coordinates personal services, 24-hour supervision and assistance (scheduled and unscheduled), activities and health-related services. It is designed to accommodate individual residents’ changing needs and preferences; maximize residents’ dignity, autonomy, privacy, independence, choice and safety; and to encourage family and community involvement.

Congregate Housing – Typically a multi-unit rental housing with self-contained rooms and/or apartments that provide support services, such as one or more of the following: meal(s), housekeeping, laundry, transportation, or social and recreational activities. Supervision and personal care are not included in congregate housing.

Elder Cottage Housing Option (ECHO) – A small, freestanding unit on the side or rear of an existing home, usually installed for a family member and removed when no longer needed.

Independent Senior Apartments – These are apartments which rent only to those over a certain age. “Independent living” means a person maintains his or her own living area and attends to personal care needs and meals.

• Subsidized Senior and Disabled Apartments – Individuals who are at least 62 years old or disabled, and meet low income qualifications, are eligible for rent subsidies. Income levels are set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), but are generally 80% of the region’s median income. Rent will be calculated as 30% to 35% of ones income, and government programs will cover the additional housing cost.

Rest Homes – Also called a “Residential Care Facility”. The Rest Home is licensed by the Ohio Department of Health and houses 17 or more adults. A Rest Home can be a separate facility or a licensed part of a Continuing Care Retirement Community. Rest Homes can provide personal care and can also distribute medications where licensed family and group homes can only remind residents to take their medication or assist with the self-administration of their medication.

Retirement Communities – Typically large self-contained campuses with a variety of buildings, cottages, etc. Retirement Communities offer a variety of activities, social functions, and housekeeping as well as other services for older adults.

• Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC) – A specific type of Retirement Community, but also has licensed areas, rest home and/or skilled nursing. In the licensed areas, the facility is able to provide on-going personal care, ranging from assisted living to skilled nursing. CCRC’s often require the payment of an entrance fee or endowment in exchange for a promise of continuing care to the resident for a prescribed period, usually the life of the resident.

Section 8 Housing - Under Section 8 of the Housing Act of 1937, rental assistance is provided to low-income families and individuals who have income no higher than 80% of their locality’s median income. This rental assistance is not specifically designed to assist older or disabled persons, but such individuals are eligible if they meet the income requirements. This subsidy can be either project-based or tenant-based.

• Project-based Subsidy – subsidy payments made to owners of private housing on behalf of qualified low income tenants. Whereas the tenant-based subsidy is portable and moves with the individual, the project-based subsidy is tied to the building. If a tenant moves out of a project-based subsidized building, the subsidy allocation stays with the vacated unit for the benefit of the next resident.
   
• Tenant-based Subsidy – payments made on behalf of low-income individuals to the landlord. This is a portable subsidy that stays with the eligible person in the form of a Section 8 Certificate or Voucher. It moves with the eligible person rather than staying with the unit as in the case of the project-based subsidy.
   
• Certificate Program – one of the two types of tenant-based rental assistance programs administered by the local Housing Authority for families/individuals whose annual income falls within specific income guidelines established by HUD. Before a family/individual is approved to participate in the certificate program, the Housing Authority inspects the rental property, approves the rent, and enters into a contract with the owner agreeing to pay a portion of the rent for the family/individual. The amount of rent the family/individual pays is based upon 30% of their monthly adjusted income. The Housing Authority pays the balance of the rent to the owner using funds provided by HUD.
   
• Voucher Program – one of the two types of tenant-based rental assistance programs administered by the local Housing Authority for low income households to rent housing in the private market. In the voucher program, there is no limit on the tenant’s portion of the rent. The amount of the assistance is fixed but families may choose to supplement the amount they pay for more expensive housing or keep the excess amount if the rent is less than the rent subsidy.
  
  See Housing Resources & Programs for local phone number for Section 8 Housing.

Shared Living – A residence for up to 16 adults, with private or semi-private sleeping rooms and shared living, dining and kitchen areas. A resident manager provide meals, transportation, protective oversight (supervision), and other services in a family-like environment.

Residential State Supplement Program (RSS) – A state program that provides a cash supplement for supportive living in approved settings to Medicaid-eligible Ohio residents who are blind, aged, or disabled adults. Program participants must be 18 years of age or older, require protective level of care but do not require nursing home care. They must reside in a certified or licensed Adult Care Facility. For information please call 513-721-7670 or contact:

Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio 800-252-0155
175 Tri County Parkway

Cincinnati, OH 45246

For a current listing of Adult Care Facilities for Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Hamilton and Warren Counties please call COA^SM’s Information and Referral Department at 513-345-8643.