Woman sues Lane County over adult foster home expansion rules

Lane County denied Halina Myers’ application to expand her adult foster home in Deadwood, and Myers filed a federal lawsuit in Eugene on June 17. Myers says the county’s requirements for the home are discriminatory and violate disability law.

The dispute goes beyond one property line because adult foster homes are part of the local care network for people who need help with daily living. In residential neighborhoods, county land-use rules can decide whether a home may add residents or make changes needed to serve more people, so a denial can affect how many beds are available in Lane County.

The case also lands as the county’s foster-care structure is changing. Lane County says on its foster care page that, effective Jan. 1, 2026, responsibility for I/DD child and adult foster licensing and certification shifted from local Community Developmental Disabilities Programs, including Lane County DDS, to the state Office of Developmental Disabilities Services. The county says Lane County DDS will still have a role during the transition.

Lane County also points people to public adult foster care provider information through its county channels. That kind of listing matters when families are trying to find placement for an older adult or disabled adult and the available homes are limited.

For Myers, the lawsuit puts the county’s denial in front of a federal judge in U.S. District Court in Eugene. For Lane County, it raises the question of how far local land-use rules should reach when a residential care home says it needs to expand to meet disability-related needs. If the challenge succeeds, similar homes could have a clearer path to grow. If it fails, the county’s current approach to adult foster home expansion is likely to stand.