Adult family homes
in Washington

An adult family home is a residential home licensed by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). Most are licensed for two to six adults; a home that meets additional state requirements may receive approval for seven or eight. Each home provides room, meals, laundry, supervision, and help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, mobility, and medication, all in a residential setting. For many families it sits in the sweet spot between in-home care and a large facility: real care, at household scale.

The residential setting and license type distinguish an AFH from other care settings; capacity alone is not a clean dividing line because approved seven- and eight-resident AFHs overlap with the smallest assisted living facilities. Nursing homes provide 24-hour supervised nursing care. You can read how Washington defines each setting in DSHS guide to residential care options.

AFHCircle currently lists 5,069 licensed adult family homes across 6 Washington counties: King (1,820), Snohomish (1,181), Pierce (1,071), Clark (592), Thurston (334), Kitsap (71). It also lists 330 licensed assisted living facilities in the same counties. Every listing comes from official DSHS licensing records and shows the home's license number and status, licensed bed count, address, and a link to its state inspection reports where the state publishes them. We refresh against the state's data every month, and each listing shows when its record was last checked.

What we don't do matters as much: AFHCircle charges no referral fees, sells no leads, and gives no placement advice. Large senior-care directories typically earn a fee when they place a private-pay resident; we don't, so nothing here steers you. Compare homes, then browse the full Washington directory and contact the homes you choose directly.