By Grand Rapids Senior Advisor Care Team · Published October 30, 2026
Why does Holland have so many 20-bed adult foster care homes?
Because 20 is the ceiling for an adult foster care large group home in Michigan, and Lakeshore operators have built campuses of several houses at that size rather than one big building.
Of the 35 licensed homes serving older adults with Holland addresses, 14 are large group AFC homes and 13 of those are licensed for exactly 20 residents. Eleven belong to two campus operators: six houses under one licensee and five under another, each house with its own name and its own license number.
Michigan's Adult Foster Care Facility Licensing Act defines a large group home as 13 to 20 residents; above 20, a home becomes a congregate facility with different rules. Building to 20 keeps each house under the large-group rule set.
What is it like to live in a 20-bed house?
It sits between a family home and a large community: a shared kitchen and living room, private or semi-private bedrooms, and a staff that knows every resident, with the campus providing management, activities or nursing oversight across houses.
For someone who finds a 100-apartment building overwhelming but needs more structure than a six-bed home can give, the model fits well. Couples can sometimes live in the same house; residents whose needs change may move between houses on a campus without leaving.
How do you check the record of a house on a campus?
Look up each house separately. Every house has its own LARA license, its own renewal reports and its own special investigations, and records can differ sharply between houses run by the same operator.
| What to check | Where | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| License status and expiration | LARA profile of the specific house | Whether that house is in good standing |
| Latest renewal result | Renewal licensing study | Rules cited at the last inspection |
| Special investigations since 2023 | Facility profile report list | Complaints and whether they were established |
| Alzheimer's designation | Populations served | Whether the house is licensed to serve dementia |
On our site, each Holland house has its own profile, and the profile lists the operator's other houses so you can compare them side by side.
What do recent Holland investigations show?
Several Holland houses have had special investigations since 2023 that established staffing or medication findings, while others under the same operators show none.
That variation is the point. A campus brochure describes the operator; the LARA record describes the house your parent would actually live in. Ask which house has an opening, then read that house's reports before the tour.
What does a Holland AFC house cost?
There is no published Holland or Lakeshore median. The only sourced benchmark is CareScout's 2025 Michigan assisted living median of $69,000 a year, about $5,750 a month.
Ask for the all-in monthly rate at your parent's care level and whether the campus charges separately for memory care, medication help or a second person. Ask what happens if private funds run out -- adult foster care room and board is not covered by Medicaid.
Which programs serve Holland residents?
Holland's ZIP codes 49423 and 49424 are in LifeCircles-PACE's service area, whose Holland center is on James Street; MI Choice intake for the Ottawa side runs through Senior Resources in Muskegon, and for the Allegan side through the Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan.
Holland straddles the county line, so check which county the house -- and your parent's current home -- is in before calling.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest an adult foster care home can be in Michigan?
A large group home is licensed for 13 to 20 residents; homes for more than 20 are licensed as congregate facilities, and buildings for 21 or more people age 55+ may instead be homes for the aged.
Are the Holland AFC houses assisted living?
Families often call them assisted living, but each is licensed as an adult foster care large group home. Michigan has no assisted living license.
Do Holland houses accept residents with dementia?
Some do. Check the Alzheimer's designation in each house's LARA profile, and ask how the house handles exit-seeking and night care.
