Fort Worth to regulate boarding homes after officials find poor living conditions

The Fort Worth City Council voted Tuesday to impose regulations on boarding homes after members of the police department’s Crisis Intervention Team discovered poor living conditions at some of the houses.

A boarding home is for elderly people or those with disabilities who are high functioning, and most are owned by private homeowners. Unlike group homes, they are not regulated or inspected by the state because they do not provide assisted living. The city estimates there are 75 to 150 homes in Fort Worth.

In many cases, the people who own the home are not on site, and they appoint the most cognitively capable tenant to be a house manager, according to city officials.

Police responding to calls found filthy kitchens, people sleeping on floors and up 12 people crammed into three-bedroom homes.

The new regulations include annual inspections and background checks on employees. The rules are modeled after ordinances in San Antonio and Houston.

This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 5:17 PM.