What is an Alta care home?
Alta California Regional Center (ACRC) Care Homes are a type of Adult Residential Facilities (ARF) provides care for adults age 18-59, who are unable to provide for their own daily needs. An ARF is a residential property like a home.
Alta California Regional Center (ACRC) Care Homes are specialized ARF residential facilities. An Alta care home is vendored (The process to be part of the Alta system, not licensed by Alta but vendored by Alta).
What does Alta California Regional Center do?
Alta works with the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) to provide support to individuals with developmental disabilities such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism. Although care may be provided well into the person’s adult life, the disability must have been diagnosed before the individual reaches the age of 18.
Many of the clients of the Alta care homes are middle aged and older. Some have been in the program for decades and would qualify for an RCFE. Therefore, turn over in an Alta care home is low. Numerous clients have been in a particular care home over 10 years. This is very beneficial to the client and care home owner.
What is an Alta care home property?
Alta Care Homes are in many neighborhoods. Alta care homes are like families living together with special needs but with a trained staff. ACRC residential facilities come in many sizes. Single family homes with only one story and one bedroom for each client, creditable cooking and storage areas, a staff area or room and locally correct safety standards are the basic criteria for the property. Using a professional experienced real estate company like Coffee Real Estate to help the home buyer understand the safety issues, client living principles, staff requirements, and the business value of the property is essential to create a successful Alta care home property.
What is Alta California Regional Center?
Alta California Regional Center (ACRC) is a private, non-profit corporation working under contract with the State of California, Department of Developmental Services (DSS), to provide services to persons, age three and above, with a developmental disability pursuant to the Lanterman Act.
The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, also known as the “Lanterman Act,” passed in 1969. This California law basically says people with developmental disabilities and their families have a right to get the services and supports they need to live like people without disabilities.
Lanterman Act envisioned a joint venture between government and the community in search of a more humane way to help the neediest members of our society. The government would provide funds and guidance to regional centers that, in turn, would work with communities to provide solutions at a local level.
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There is helpful information to buy an ALTA care home here – Insights into purchasing a residential care home.
What is Alta service area?
The level of care gives that familiar description of an Alta care home. Alta 3 care home or an Alta 4a care home is a way people describe Alta care homes. What they are stating is the level of care needed with in the facility. Alta helps with the following tool to understand the levels of care, types of clients, staff ratios and other insights. Sacramento is a core are of service for Alta.
The Level of Care system:
The State Department of Development Services has established a level of care system which promotes quality and consistency of service for consumers living in the same home. Service levels are categorized by quantity, quality, and intensity of service provision. Each residential facility is vendored at a specific service level.
Alta gives this description based upon Title 17 Regulations for ARM. The behavioral or needs descriptions listed below are not all inclusive. A care home may only accept some of the behaviors or needs listed or may have a “specialized” type of setting. This tool is meant only as a reference guide.
Level 2 Alta care home
| The Facility: Homelike environment |
| Rx Monitoring |
| Provides supportive program |
| Supervision & training |
| Participate in development of Individual Program Plans ( IPP’s) |
| Avg. 1:6 Staff Ratio |
| Consumer: Minimal assistance with the Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s) |
| Mild behaviors (teasing, screaming, resistive) |
| Mild non-compliance |
Level 3 Alta care home
| Facility: L2 + Structured environment |
| Trained Staff |
| Avg 1:3 Staff Ratio |
| Consumer: Significant limitations to ADLs |
| Limitations in physical abilities |
| Mild to moderate SIB |
| Mild to moderate behaviors (aggression, running, wandering, tantrums, property destruction, resistive) |
Level 4 Alta care home
| Facility: L3+ highly structured environment |
| Predictable staff intervention |
| Behavior Plans |
| Specialized Consultation |
| Quarterly Progress Reviews |
| Enriched staffing based upon Level 4A to 4I |
| May have awake staff |
| Some homes may have a “medical” model i.e. homes designated specifically for medically fragile children. |
All Level 4 facilities
| must be prepared to have 24 hour awake staff |
| Consumer: Severe limitations on ADLs |
| Severe Behaviors |
| AWOL |
| Severe Non-compliance |
Acronyms:
| ADL – Activities of Daily Living |
| PT – Planning Team |
| Avg. – Average |
| Asst – assistance |
| IPP – Individual Program Plan |
| Rx – Prescription |
| SIB – Self Injurious Behavior |
| AWOL – Absent without leave |
What are the qualifications for each level?
Alta’s qualifications are very detailed and do change. It is best to get the up to date qualifications from Alta. Alta helps with resource on their web site like this PDF
What are the qualifications to be part of Alta California Regional Center (ACRC)?
ACRC strives to interface with vendors in a productive manner that upholds our high quality standards. ACRC is seeking vendors for residential facilities who are committed to providing quality service and care to consumers. ACRC requests that interested persons apply to vendor residential facilities for which the applicant is qualified and there is an identified need.
| Level 2 | Minimum of 6 months part-time paid experience is required (at least 20 hours per week) |
| Level 3 | Minimum of 9 months part-time paid experience is required (at least 20 hours per week) |
| Level 4 | – Minimum of 12 months full-time paid experience is required (40 hours per week) |
Title 17 Section 56002 (1) (12) (14) (15) (17) (48) defines experience as providing specialized training, treatment, direct care and supervision in a vendored residential care facility for persons with developmental disabilities.
For all service levels, applicants’ must demonstrate experience and competency in a care home of the same level or higher than the residential facility to be vendored.
Alta California Regional Center web site is filled with helps and rules on becoming a service provider.
Check out all their information at http://www.altaregional.org/become-service-provider
What are some of the property requirements?
Consideration will only be given to single story homes with a maximum licensed and regional center vendored capacity for 4 residents.
Each consumer/client shall have his or her own bedroom.
One non-ambulatory bed is required; wheelchair accessible preferred.
All Level 4 facilities must be prepared to have 24 hour awake staff.
The standard for residential facilities is to provide quality care to all consumers/clients residing in the home. It is to be a home-like environment that focuses on the needs and interests of the individual consumer. The residential facility is to provide the least restrictive environment that promotes independence while assuring the consumers’ health and safety. Many other types of care homes have similar standards. California Alta assisted living facility have a real estate and business parts to know.
What are some of the ACRC and government requirements?
The vendorization process and operation of all ACRC residential facilities is governed by Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations.
According to Title 17 and Title 22 all Community Care Facilities must obtain a valid Community Care License (CCL) as required by Health and Safety Code, Sections 1500 through 1569.87.
The vendorization process and CCL’s process can be conducted concurrently; however, final vendorization will not occur until a valid Community Care Facility license is secured from the State Department of Social Services (DSS).
Vendors are to have a working knowledge of Title 17, Title 22, and ACRC Community Care Facility Vendorization Procedures.
This is not all a person needs to operate an Alta care home. It is a simplified overview of the process. Due diligence is a must when planning to own and operate an Alta care home. Communicate with Alta; they have centers in the service area. Talk with current Alta care home owners to get their insights. Do all the research and due diligence before entering into a decision to buy and operate an Alta care home.
When you are ready to look for a property or find a current owner ready to sell please contact Coffee Real Estate. We will be happy to asset you. Our experience, insights and network can help with locating a property, finding financing and many other issues.
Care homes sold by Dan Parisi – Coffee Real Estate
Alta 4a Care Home
The property has beautiful outdoor space. This creates a pleasant atmosphere. The neighborhood is safe. The house is designed to be low up keep. Coffee Real Estate sold this property.
This Sacramento care home, is licensed and vendored (Alta California Regional Center) for six clients. Each client receives $2941 per month. The Care home has 5 clients for which it receives $14,705 per month. (numbers from 2015)
Below is a chart of two possible ways to operate the care home. (numbers from 2015) Example one is if the new owner wishes to live on site in the home. The property has two staff live in master suites. The second example is if the new owner pays the current on site employee to stay as the live in care worker. The cost is based on current prices paid.
| Example #1 Live in owner | Cost | Example #2 non live in owner | Cost |
| Month expenses like food, utility bills and the like | $4,500.00 | Month expenses like food, utility bills and the like | $4,500.00 |
| Monthly care works (33 hours per week) | $1,500.00 | Monthly care works (live in plus 33 hours per week) | $3,800.00 |
| Other over head is cost of business (mortgage) | $1,500.0 | Other over head is cost of business (mortgage) | $1,500.0 |
| Net positive cash | $7,205.00 | Net positive cash | $4.905.00 |
If the new owners wishes to add a new Alta client for the $2,941.00 per month these are the additional costs. Alta mandates an additional 21 hours per week for the 6th client. The current owner takes in an additional short term client at a rate of $140.00 per overnight.
| Adding a 6th client | $2,941.00 |
| Added monthly cost for care worker (21 hours per week) | $1,000.00 |
| Added month expenses | $600.00 |
| Net positive cash | $1,300.00 |
Coffee Real Estate website containing information about care home and support documents is RCFE intended to provide general information only. Because legislative requirements for home care standards, employment law and business operations vary, the information presented should not be interpreted as being universally applicable. The information is given with the understanding that they do not constitute legal, medical, accounting or other professional advice. Legal advice & other professional assistance should be sought prior to commencing your care home business in order to determine the impact of all levels of government legislation, rules and regulations, local laws, licenses, etc. upon the operation of the care home business.
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