A. Shelter Care Facilities shall provide living areas that are as home-like as possible.
Restrictive rules shall be kept to a minimum and be such that they do not infringe upon a resident’s civil rights of self-determination, the privacy of a person or thought, personal dignity, and independence.
B. Director Qualifications
1. The Director of a Shelter Care Facility shall meet one of the following upon date of hire:
a. have at least two (2) years of college training plus two (2) years of experience in the field of health, social services, geriatrics, management
or administration; or
b. in lieu of two (2) years of college training, four (4) years’ experience in health, social services, geriatrics, management, administration or a
combination of undergraduate education and experience for a total of four (4) years; or
c. a Bachelor’s degree in geriatrics, social service, nursing, health care administration or related field or their equivalent.
2. Documentation of Director qualifications shall be on file at the facility.
C. Staffing
1. A Shelter Care Facility shall have staff sufficient in number and qualifications on
duty at all times to meet the needs of the residents.
2. The facility shall have at least one (1) person on duty and awake twenty-four (24) hours per day.
3. Additional day and/or night-time staff may be required as deemed necessary by the Bureau of Licensing and/or State Fire Marshal depending upon the location of
the facility, the response time of emergency agencies, the availability of other staff, and the number and condition of residents.
D. Food Service
1. A facility shall ensure that a resident is provided at least three meals or their equivalent daily at regular times with not more than fourteen (14) hours between
the evening meal and breakfast of the following day. Mealtime shall be comparable to those of a normal home.
2. A facility shall hire a full-time cook. A full-time cook means someone to prepare three meals a day seven days a week.
E. Bedrooms
1. A facility shall ensure that each single occupancy bedroom space has a floor area of at least one hundred (100) net square feet and that each double occupancy
the bedroom has a floor area of at least eighty (80) net square feet for each resident.
There shall be no more than two (2) residents per bedroom.
2. Both residents sharing a double occupancy bedroom shall agree, in writing, to the shared living arrangement. (Husbands and wives do not have to sign such an
agreement.)
3. A facility shall not use a room with a ceiling height of less than seven (7) feet six (6) inches as a bedroom, unless, in a room with varying ceiling heights, the
portions of the room used to meet the room size are in compliance with the ceiling heights.
4. Each resident shall have a bed, mattress, pillow, and bed linens to meet individual needs. Residents may bring beds and/or other furniture with them upon
admittance so long as it does not interfere with the operation of the facility.
5. A husband and wife may bring, and use a double bed.
6. Bunk beds or portable beds shall not be allowed.
7. Each resident shall be provided with individual space, in the bedrooms, for personal possessions or clothing such as dressers, chest of drawers, etc.
8. Residents shall be allowed to decorate their own bedrooms with pictures, etc., as
they wish.
9. Each bedroom shall have a closet that opens directly into the room and be of sufficient size to serve the occupant(s) of the bedroom. If the bedroom does not
have a closet opening into the room, there shall be a moveable closet or armoire available in the bedroom. If a moveable closet or armoire is used, this space shall
not be counted in the net floor space.
10. All rooms used as bedrooms shall contain an outside window. Skylights are not acceptable for use as windows.
11. A room where access is through a bathroom or another bedroom shall not be
approved or used as a resident’s bedroom.
F. Bathrooms
1. There shall be adequate toilet, bathing, and handwashing facilities in accordance with the current edition of the State Sanitary Code.
2. Bathrooms shall be located so that they open into a hallway, common area or
directly into the bedroom. If the bathroom opens directly into a bedroom, it shall
be for the use of the occupant(s) of that bedroom only.
3. Each bathroom shall be equipped with toilet paper, towels, soap, etc.
4. Tubs and showers shall have slip-proof surfaces.
5. Grab bars shall be installed in all tubs and showers and around toilets as needed by the residents.
6. Bathrooms shall have floors and walls of impermeable, cleanable, and easily sanitized materials.
G. Determination of Licensed Capacity. The following criteria shall be followed in
determining the licensed capacity of a Shelter Care Facility:
1. each bedroom with at least one hundred (100) net square feet shall be counted as one (1) in determining capacity.
2. each bedroom with at least one hundred sixty (160) net square feet shall be counted as two (2) in determining capacity.
3. no more than two (2) residents may share a bedroom.
4.there shall be at least sixty (60) net square feet of common space per resident.
(Example: Sixty (60) X total licensed capacity equals the required common space
needed.)