Accessing Community Care
Learn about the types of community care homes and how to access them.

Accessing community care
Community care homes provide accommodation, meals, and care and supervision based on a person’s needs. There are a wide variety of settings where this care is provided, ranging from small home-like facilities for persons with physical or developmental disabilities to large-scale facilities primarily for infirm, elderly seniors (long-term care).
A community care facility licence is required for all programs and facilities providing care to three or more persons who are not related to the operator by blood or marriage, unless designated under the Hospital Act. This applies whether the facility receives funding (subsidization) from a health authority or another agency, or whether a person pays privately. Community care homes must obey all laws and regulations as set out in the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and the Residential Care Regulation. Please note, residential care is a term that is still in use for community care homes.
Assisted living residences are not a type of care licensed under the Residential Care Regulation. Enquiries about Assisted Living residences can be directed to the Assisted Living Registry:
Phone: 1-866-714-3378
Email: Hlth.assistedlivingregistry@gov.bc.ca
Fax: 250-953-0496
Types of community care homes
Interior Health offers community care resources that help adults with acquired brain injuries to regain, improve, and/or maintain function and/or independence.
Child and youth community care home locations provide care for children and youth who need complex care due to complex medical conditions, mental health concerns and/or significant behavioural challenges.
Community living long-term care locations provide support and services to adults with developmental disabilities, as well as individuals who have a diagnosis of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and who have significant difficulty doing things on their own.
Hospice locations provide end-of-life or palliative care aimed at relieving suffering and improving the quality of life for people who are living with, or dying from, advanced illness, or who are bereaved.
Find end-of-life care facilities in the Interior Health region
Long-term care is also known as extended care, nursing home care or geriatric care. It is for adults who can no longer live safely at home due to complex health care needs requiring 24-hour professional care. Causes of these health care needs may include physical disability or mental or behavioural conditions, including brain injuries or dementia. Ultimately, access to long-term care services is based on a person’s assessed need and risk.
We believe the best quality of life is achieved by remaining in one’s own home environment for as long as possible. However, when individuals are no longer able to stay at home with assistance, long-term care facilities provide a healthy and safe environment.
Your local Home and Community Care office can help you to decide if long-term care is right for you or a loved one.
We offer services for treatment and support for those impacted by mental health and substance use issues.
Accessing community care homes
The following websites provide detailed information to help you make informed decisions about community care homes:
- Assisted Living Registry
- BC 211
- Long-Term Care Quick Facts Directory (Office of the Seniors Advocate)
Community care in Indigenous communities
Child care facilities and community care homes that are in Indigenous communities in the Interior region require a license.
Our licensing officers conduct inspections based on the Community Care and Assisted Living Act.
Centred on providing culturally sensitive health care, the Indigenous Patient Navigator (IPN) assists Indigenous patients in accessing community services and resources that support care.
If you are seeking care for yourself or a loved one, IPN will help with:
- Understanding community care
- Spiritual connection
- Community and hospital linkage
- Access to community services
- Provision of support for patients, caregivers and families
Support for newcomers
If you are an individual preparing for life in Canada, a temporary resident, a permanent resident or already a Canadian citizen, the following organizations will help you to find programs and services for you and your family:
Frequently Asked Questions
A licensed community care facility is a premises, or part of a premises, where care is provided to three or more individuals, not related by blood or marriage to the caregiver.
The Community Care Licensing program protects and promotes the health, safety and well-being of vulnerable children, youth and adults in licensed care facilities. We do this through education, collaboration and regulation. The Licensing program is responsible for monitoring compliance of licensed facilities with the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, the Child Care Licensing Regulation and the Residential Care Regulation (which applies to community care homes). The Act and Regulations set forth a standard which all licensed facilities are required to meet.
Learn more about Community Care Facility Licensing
A licence is required when care is provided to more than two persons not related by blood or marriage to the care provider. For more information see the Unlawful Community Care Home brochure.
Licensing staff prioritize work according to the level of risk in a facility. The level is assessed based on investigations, inspections, applications, exemptions, etc. Facilities with a history of non-compliance receive more frequent routine inspections.


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