A Place At Home

The question every serious franchise investor should ask before writing a check is not whether the industry is growing — it is whether this specific brand has the operational foundation, financial model, and market timing to generate a real return. For the adult child watching a parent struggle at home, or the 73-year-old trying to maintain independence after a health scare, the problem is painfully concrete: finding qualified, consistent, compassionate in-home care is genuinely hard. A Place At Home was built to solve exactly that problem, and the franchise opportunity it represents is worth rigorous analysis. Co-founded in 2012 in Omaha, Nebraska, by childhood friends Dustin Distefano and Jerod Evanich, the company emerged not from a boardroom strategy session but from personal frustration — both founders experienced firsthand the difficulty of securing acceptable care for their own aging family members and decided to build the solution they could not find. Distefano serves as CEO and co-founder while Evanich holds the title of co-founder and President, giving the brand a leadership team with skin in the game from day one. The company's corporate footprint has since expanded, with operational headquarters now reflected in Scottsdale, Arizona, while its original registered address sits at 11422 Miracle Hills Drive, Suite 450, in Omaha, Nebraska. A Place At Home began offering franchise licenses in 2017 and has since grown to more than 57 locations nationwide as of mid-2025, with 73 territories awarded as of January 2025 and a stated goal of reaching 75 open locations by year-end 2025. On February 25, 2026, the brand reached a significant inflection point when Dovida, a global provider of person-centered home care operating across six international markets, acquired A Place At Home as its North American entry vehicle — a transaction that signals institutional confidence in the brand's platform. For franchise investors evaluating the A Place At Home franchise opportunity, this combination of mission-driven founding story, demonstrated unit growth, and global acquirer validation positions the brand as one of the more compelling emerging players in the senior home care space.

The home healthcare industry is one of the most structurally advantaged sectors available to franchise investors today, driven by demographic math that is both predictable and irreversible. The global home healthcare market was estimated at approximately $416 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach between $747 billion and $1,015 billion by 2030 and 2034 respectively, depending on the analytical framework applied, with compound annual growth rates ranging from 8.5% to 11.3% across reputable forecasts. North America dominates global market share, capturing over 42% of total global home healthcare revenue in 2024, with the U.S. market alone estimated at $222 billion in 2025 and projected to climb to $692 billion by 2035 at a CAGR of approximately 12%. The primary demand engine is demographic: all baby boomers will be over 65 by 2030, and the 65-plus U.S. population is projected to nearly double by 2050. Three out of four seniors report a strong preference for aging in their own homes rather than transitioning to institutional care settings, creating sustained organic demand for non-medical and supportive home care services. The increasing prevalence of chronic conditions — including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, respiratory illness, and hearing impairment — accelerates the timeline at which seniors require assistance, further expanding the addressable market. Compounding these trends is a looming caregiving crisis: nearly half of U.S. states are classified as being on the brink of a caregiving emergency, with Florida designated as critical and California, North Carolina, and Virginia identified as high-risk markets — states where A Place At Home has either opened locations or is actively expanding. The home care services segment specifically accounts for 84% to 85% of total home healthcare market revenue, and the sector's non-cyclical demand profile has made it consistently attractive to franchise investors seeking businesses with recession-resistant characteristics. Technology is also reshaping service delivery, with AI-enabled remote monitoring, telemedicine integration, and smart sensor platforms reducing operational complexity and improving care quality, creating differentiation opportunities for brands that invest in these capabilities early.

Evaluating the A Place At Home franchise cost requires reconciling two data streams: figures disclosed in the most recent Franchise Disclosure Document reviewed by the PeerSense database and figures reported by third-party franchise research sources drawn from earlier FDD filings. The franchise fee reflected in the current FDD is $75,000, which sits at the upper range when compared against the $49,500 fee cited in earlier franchise disclosure documents — a delta that may reflect fee adjustments made as the brand matured and Dovida's acquisition elevated the system's positioning. Total initial investment ranges from $70,000 on the low end to $296,500 on the upper end per the current database record, while earlier FDD filings placed that range between approximately $84,000 and $168,000 depending on geography, lease versus purchase decisions, and initial staffing configurations. The spread between the low and high investment figures is primarily attributable to office space decisions, local market labor rates, and the scope of initial marketing and operational setup costs. The ongoing royalty rate reflects a thoughtful tiered structure: franchisees pay 5% of gross sales on revenue up to $1 million, 4% on sales between $1 million and $1.5 million, and 3.5% on revenue above $1.5 million — a design that directly rewards scale and aligns franchisor incentives with franchisee growth. The PeerSense database reflects a blended royalty figure of 4.5%. Franchisees also contribute 1% of gross sales to the national brand development fund, bringing the total ongoing fee burden to approximately 5.5% to 6% of gross revenue at entry-level volumes. A minimum net worth of $250,000 and liquid capital of at least $50,000 to $70,000 are required for qualification, and prospective franchisees should carry a minimum credit score of 680. A Place At Home does not provide in-house financing but does facilitate introductions to third-party and SBA-friendly lenders. Veterans and first responders have historically been eligible for a 10% discount on the franchise fee, and the brand's total investment profile earned it placement on Entrepreneur's 2025 Top Franchises for Less Than $100,000 list — recognition that reflects the accessible lower bound of the investment range.

The A Place At Home franchise operating model is built around relationship-driven referral marketing rather than retail foot traffic or digital lead generation alone, which distinguishes it operationally from consumer-facing service franchises. On a daily basis, owner-operators focus on building referral networks with hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, physicians, social workers, and senior living communities to generate consistent client introductions. The service portfolio includes non-medical in-home care — companionship, light housekeeping, bathing, grooming, dressing, meal preparation, medication reminders, and transportation — alongside care coordination, senior living placement alternatives, and staffing solutions for local healthcare facilities. Caregivers are the core labor model, and franchisees are responsible for recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining a caregiver workforce sized to client demand. The brand uses CareAcademy as its unified caregiver training platform, a system configured to meet state-specific regulatory requirements and authored by subject-matter experts, which allows franchise owners to monitor caregiver progress and maintain consistent care quality across all locations. Franchisees enter the system through the "CARE Launch" onboarding program, which includes one-on-one training, a three-day on-site visit from the corporate support team covering marketing and daily operations, and weekly support conferences during the critical early months. The brand backs its launch program with a compelling guarantee: franchisees who fully complete the five-step CARE Track process will serve their first client within 60 days of opening, or the first six months of royalties are waived — a commitment supported by a 95% success rate among enrollees. Ongoing support infrastructure includes monthly franchisee roundtable sessions, quarterly Franchisee Advisory Council Meetings, and direct access to industry professionals. In 2024, the company expanded its franchise business coaching team by adding two additional coaches dedicated to one-on-one mentorship, reflecting a deliberate investment in support infrastructure as the system scaled. The opportunity is structured primarily for owner-operators, though semi-passive ownership may be considered for experienced entrepreneurs who can demonstrate an appropriate management structure, subject to franchisor approval.

Item 19 financial performance data is not disclosed in the current Franchise Disclosure Document on file in the PeerSense database, which means prospective investors cannot rely on franchisor-supplied revenue or profit figures from that source alone. That said, publicly available and third-party-reported data provides meaningful benchmarks that investors should weigh carefully. Multiple sources report average annual gross revenue per A Place At Home unit of approximately $1,069,000, with one source reporting a figure of $974,796 — both of which compare favorably to an estimated $784,000 average annual revenue for comparable non-medical in-home care franchise concepts. Co-founder Dustin Distefano stated in January 2021 that the brand discloses gross sales, cost of goods including caregiver labor, and profit figures in its Item 19, and that franchise owners are performing well financially — a disclosure posture that contrasts with the current FDD record in the PeerSense database, suggesting the disclosure status may vary by FDD version year. Franchise Business Review recognized A Place At Home among its Most Profitable Franchises for 2025, with 25% of franchise owners reporting annual personal income of $150,000 or higher. Estimated owner-operator earnings range from $175,464 to $243,699 annually based on publicly cited figures. The estimated franchise payback period is 1.6 to 3.6 years — a range that reflects meaningful variation based on market entry timing, local referral network depth, and caregiver staffing efficiency. The tiered royalty structure is specifically cited as a structural driver of profitability: as a location crosses the $1 million revenue threshold, the effective royalty rate drops from 5% to 4%, creating a margin step-up that rewards franchisees who execute on growth. Investors conducting due diligence should request the most current FDD version directly from the franchisor and independently verify Item 19 disclosure status, as the PeerSense database record may reflect a prior disclosure year.

The growth trajectory of the A Place At Home franchise system reflects a brand in active scaling mode, with measurable acceleration in unit additions over a compressed timeframe. The system reported 26 operating locations in 2023 and expanded significantly through 2024, adding 20 new units and entering Maryland, Virginia, and Connecticut for the first time. By January 2025, 73 territories had been awarded nationally. In the first half of 2025, seven new territories were awarded, four new locations opened — in Weston, Florida; Reston, Virginia; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Yorba Linda, California — and five additional locations were in pre-launch preparation. The brand also entered five new states in the first half of 2025 alone: Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, Washington, and Nevada. In August 2024, A Place At Home opened five locations simultaneously, including its first Georgia office in Alpharetta, two Pennsylvania locations in Glenside and Langhorne, and two Texas locations in Sugar Land and Cypress. The competitive moat the brand is building rests on four pillars: its Senior-Focused Care registered model, which provides a differentiated positioning versus generalist home care providers; its C.A.R.E. values framework — Compassionate, Accountable, Respectful, and Ethical — embedded in every layer of franchisee selection and client service; its CareAcademy caregiver training integration, which creates consistent service quality at scale; and its October 2025 partnership with PocketRN's GUIDE Program to enhance dementia-specific care delivery. The Dovida acquisition completed in February 2026 provides the brand with global operational expertise, capital resources, and cross-market infrastructure from a company already operating across six international markets, which could accelerate domestic expansion and technology investment. The brand has earned a debut on the 2025 Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list, along with six Franchise Business Review awards including Top Franchise, Top Franchise for Culture, Top Recession-Resistant Franchise, and Top Franchises for Women — a recognition footprint that strengthens brand credibility in franchise recruitment conversations.

The ideal A Place At Home franchise candidate is not a passive investor looking for a hands-off income stream — this is a relationship-intensive business that rewards owners who are personally committed to community engagement and sales-oriented business development. The brand specifically looks for tenacious, goal-oriented individuals who have experienced the need for senior care either personally or professionally, and who bring backgrounds in sales, business development, marketing, operations, or finance at the manager or director level. Military veterans are a prioritized candidate profile, both for their leadership orientation and the franchise fee incentive historically offered to veterans and first responders. A minimum credit score of 680 is required alongside the minimum net worth and liquidity thresholds. Territory selection targets metropolitan areas with populations exceeding 100,000, where at least 15% of residents are aged 65 or older, median household incomes exceed $60,000, and professional home care competition remains limited — criteria that identify underserved markets with strong organic demand. The brand has identified the Northeastern and Western United States as areas of substantial expansion opportunity, with states like Connecticut, Washington, and Nevada recently entered for the first time in 2025. The franchise agreement grants protected territories, and multi-unit development is available for candidates who demonstrate the operational and financial capacity to scale. The timeline from franchise agreement signing to client service is designed to be rapid, with the CARE Track guarantee targeting a 60-day first-client milestone.

For investors conducting serious due diligence on senior care franchise opportunities, A Place At Home presents a compelling combination of market timing, operational infrastructure, and brand momentum that warrants careful evaluation. The global home healthcare market is a $416 billion industry growing at double-digit compound rates, the U.S. demographic pipeline is locked in for decades, and A Place At Home has demonstrated the ability to add 20 new units in a single calendar year while maintaining a 97% franchisee satisfaction rate and a 100% franchisee recommendation rate. The Dovida acquisition provides institutional backing from a global operator with six-market experience, reducing the execution risk that historically accompanies early-stage franchise systems. The total investment range of $70,000 to $296,500 positions this as an accessible entry point relative to the revenue potential suggested by publicly reported average unit volumes near $1 million annually. The FPI Score of 64 on the PeerSense platform reflects a Moderate rating, meaning investors should conduct thorough franchise agreement review, speak with existing franchisees, and analyze territory-specific demand data before committing capital. PeerSense provides exclusive due diligence data including SBA lending history, FPI score, location maps with Google ratings, FDD financial data, and side-by-side comparison tools that allow investors to benchmark A Place At Home against competing senior care franchise concepts across every material financial and operational dimension. Explore the complete A Place At Home franchise profile on PeerSense to access the full suite of independent franchise intelligence data.