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Questions to ask when you visit a group home
A visit tells you things a license roster cannot. This list is a starting point for a tour — of an ICF/IID home, an HCS group home, or another residential setting. It is not a scoring tool, and we do not turn answers into a rating. Bring a notebook, go more than once if you can, and include the person who might live there whenever that is possible.
If someone is in danger, call 911. To report abuse, neglect, or exploitation, call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 800-252-5400. For care complaints in an ICF/IID or SSLC, call HHSC at 800-458-9858.
Before you go
- Which program funds this home (ICF/IID, HCS, or something else), and how many people live here?
- Is there a vacancy now, a waiting list, or both? How is a vacancy offered?
- What are the admission criteria (age, support needs, gender, mobility, medical care)?
- May we visit at a typical time of day, not only a prepared tour hour?
- Have I looked this home up in TULIP and asked the local authority what they can share?
Safety and the house itself
- Who is awake and in the home overnight? What happens if a staff member is out sick?
- How are medications stored, given, and documented?
- What is the plan for a medical emergency, a missing person, a fire, or severe weather?
- Are doors, bathrooms, kitchens, and yards set up so the people who live here can use them safely and with as much independence as possible?
- How are incidents recorded, and how are families told?
Staffing and daily life
- How many staff work in the home on a typical weekday, evening, and weekend? What is their training?
- How often do staff change, and who supervises them?
- What does a weekday actually look like — work, day program, community outings, downtime?
- How are meals planned? Can someone keep familiar foods, cultural practices, or dietary needs?
- How does the home support friendships, family visits, faith, and time in the community?
- If the person is autistic or has other communication needs, how do staff learn and use that person’s way of communicating?
Rights, choice, and privacy
- How does a person help decide their daily schedule, roommates, and activities?
- What does privacy look like in bedrooms and bathrooms? Can someone lock a door? Have overnight guests?
- How are housemate conflicts handled?
- How would someone make a complaint without fear of losing their place?
- Who is the service coordinator or case contact at the local authority?
Finances and practical matters
- What does the program pay for, and what would the person or family still pay?
- How is personal money handled, accounted for, and accessible?
- What belongings can someone bring? What happens to a room if the person is in the hospital?
- How much notice is given if the home wants someone to move, or if the provider’s contract changes?
- Who do I call after hours, and who do I call if I cannot reach the home?
After the visit
Write down what you saw, not only what you were told. If you are still early in the process, take your notes to the local authority and ask how this home fits with the options they can officially offer. Verify license facts on TULIP. For the official outline of living options, see HHSC’s residential options brochure (PDF).