Personal care and shelter care homes

What is a personal care home in Louisiana?

A personal care home is a Level 1 adult residential care provider licensed by LDH for two to eight residents in a setting designed like a single-family house, and a shelter care home is a Level 2 ARCP for nine to 16 residents in a congregate setting.

Both provide personal care, supervision, meals and activities, and must keep a staff member awake around the clock, but neither may provide nursing; residents receive nursing from outside home health or hospice agencies.

Where are the small homes around New Orleans?

Most of the region's Level 1 and 2 homes are in Metairie and the East Bank of Jefferson Parish, often on ordinary residential streets, with a few on the West Bank, in New Orleans and on the Northshore.

Our roster lists every licensed home with its level and LDH capacity; filter by Level 1 or Level 2.

Who does well in a small home?

Small homes suit people who do best with a quiet routine and a few familiar caregivers, including many with dementia, and people who want a home-like setting rather than an apartment building.

They suit less well people who want a busy social calendar, or who need two-person help around the clock unless the home staffs for it. Ask how the home covers a caregiver's absence.

What should we check at a small home?

Check that the home is on LDH's current roster at the level and capacity you expect, count the residents you see against the licensed capacity, read the posted statement of deficiencies, and ask about night staffing and the evacuation plan.

Small homes in Louisiana are surveyed unannounced like large ones and must follow the same resident-rights and emergency-planning rules.

What do small homes cost?

No separate median is published for Level 1 and 2 homes; many charge an all-inclusive monthly rate that often falls below Louisiana's $5,163 assisted living median, sometimes with shared bedrooms, and Louisiana Medicaid does not pay for them.

Ask what the rate includes, especially medication help, incontinence care, laundry and escorts to appointments, and what extra charges apply during an evacuation.

Where is personal care homes licensed across the New Orleans area?

Here is how LDH's October 2026 roster distributes personal care homes across the six parishes; capacity is LDH's licensed resident count for ARCPs and CMS's certified beds for nursing homes.