Washington's AFH Locator: How to Find Licensed Adult Family Homes

If you're looking for Washington's official adult family home locator, it's run by the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) through its Aging and Long-Term Support Administration (ALTSA). Here are the direct links:

That's the authoritative source for license status, and you should use it. This article explains how it works, what its filters actually mean (a few are easy to misread), and what it doesn't cover.

AFHCircle is an independent directory built from the same public licensing records. We are not affiliated with DSHS or Washington State.

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The tool searches licensed adult family homes by geographic location and by specific features.

You can search by:

You can enter up to five criteria at once, which is useful if you're willing to consider several nearby cities.

The advanced version adds two filter groups, and both are commonly misunderstood.

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The specialty options are Dementia, Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and No Specialty.

These indicate which populations a home is licensed to serve not that it has specialised dementia programming or certification. In Washington, the dementia specialty designation is held by the large majority of adult family homes. Filtering on it will not narrow your search much, and a home holding it isn't necessarily a memory care specialist.

This is worth knowing because it's easy to see "Dementia" on a listing and read it as a credential. It's a licensing category.

For comparison, Washington's separate assisted living facility locator does have a distinct "Memory Care Certified" filter a certification that applies to assisted living facilities, not adult family homes. Different facility type, different credential.

This is the most useful filter in the tool and the one families most often miss.

The state's own note is explicit: only facilities with DSHS contracts can accept Medicaid. So if your family will rely on Apple Health, filtering here tells you which homes are even eligible to take you.

The contract types you'll see reflect different state programs and service levels. A home with no DSHS contract is private-pay only.

One caveat: having a contract means a home can accept Medicaid residents. It doesn't mean it has a Medicaid bed open right now, or that it will accept a new Medicaid resident. Always confirm directly with the home.

The tool is authoritative for licensing. It's less useful for the parts of the decision families actually agonise over.

It's built for lookups, not browsing. If you know the city and want a list, it works. If you want to compare homes across three neighbourhoods, or get a feel for what's available near a hospital, it's slow going.

No pricing. Adult family home rates vary widely by location and care level, and none of it is in the state system. You'll be calling homes to find out.

No current vacancy. The locator shows licensed capacity, not open beds. A home listed with six beds may have none available. Occupancy changes weekly and no public database tracks it.

Limited context on quality. License status tells you a home is legally operating. It doesn't tell you about staff turnover, what a day there feels like, or whether the owner-operator is the kind of person you'd trust with your mother. Inspection reports help, and you should read them, but they're a floor rather than a recommendation.

Nothing about language or culture. Many Washington adult family homes are run by Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, and Filipino operators, and for a lot of families that matters enormously a parent with dementia often reverts to a first language. The state system doesn't record this.

DSHS runs parallel tools for other facility types, all reachable through Washington Connection:

If you're not sure which type of care your family member needs, that's a question for a local Home and Community Services office rather than a database. They assess care needs and it costs nothing.

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DSHS publishes a booklet, Choosing Care in an Adult Family Home or Assisted Living Facility (PDF), with questions to ask and things to look for on a tour. It's free, it's short, and it's better than most of the advice you'll find online.

Home and Community Services offices assess care needs and handle applications for state-funded care in an adult family home. Start here if Medicaid may be involved.

Area Agencies on Aging provide ongoing local guidance and support for families.

Community Living Connections is a single phone line and website that routes you to the right place if you're not sure where to start.

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman advocates for residents of adult family homes, assisted living, and nursing facilities, and investigates complaints at no cost.

If you're considering opening an adult family home rather than finding one, DSHS directs prospective providers to its Business Analysis & Applications Unit at (360) 725-2420.

We built AFHCircle because the licensing data is public but hard to browse. We import the same DSHS records and organise them into city pages, so you can scan every licensed home in Tacoma or Everett in one view, with addresses, licensed bed count, license number, and inspection reports linked where the state publishes them.

What that gets you: an easier way to build a shortlist.

What it doesn't replace: the state locator remains authoritative for current license status, and our data is an imported snapshot with a last-checked date on every listing. Before you commit to anything, verify with DSHS and call the home.

We don't take referral fees and we don't sell your information. You contact homes directly.

Browse by city: Seattle · Tacoma · Vancouver · Everett · Lynnwood · Bellevue · all Washington cities

If Medicaid is part of your situation, start with our guide to Medicaid and adult family homes in Washington.

What is the AFH Locator? It's Washington's official search tool for licensed adult family homes, run by DSHS through the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration. You can search by county, city, ZIP code, or license number.

Is the AFH Locator free? Yes. It's a public government tool with no account required.

Does the AFH Locator show which homes accept Medicaid? Indirectly, through its "contracted for" filter the state notes that only facilities with DSHS contracts can accept Medicaid. A contract means a home is eligible to accept Medicaid residents, not that it has a Medicaid bed available. Confirm with the home.

Does it show prices or availability? No. Neither pricing nor current vacancy is in the state system. You'll need to call.

What does the "Dementia" specialty mean? That the home is licensed to serve residents with dementia. It's a licensing category held by most adult family homes, not a specialised certification. Ask each home directly about its actual dementia experience and staffing.

Is there a locator for assisted living? Yes DSHS runs a separate Assisted Living Facility Locator, which does include a "Memory Care Certified" filter.

AFHCircle is an independent directory. We are not affiliated with DSHS, ALTSA, or Washington State. This article is general information, not medical, legal, or placement advice. Verify licensing and availability directly with providers and with DSHS.