The purpose of this Act is to permit the development and availability of assisted living establishments and shared housing establishments based on a social model that promotes the dignity, individuality, privacy, independence, autonomy, and decision-making ability and the right to negotiated risk of those persons; to provide for the health, safety, and welfare of those residents residing in assisted living and shared housing establishments in this State; to promote continuous quality improvement in assisted living; and to encourage the development of innovative and affordable assisted living establishments and shared housing with service establishments for elderly persons of all income levels. It is the public policy of this State that assisted living is an important part of the continuum of long term care. In support of the goal of aging in place within the parameters established by this Act, assisted living and shared housing establishments shall be operated as residential environments with supportive services designed to meet the individual resident’s changing needs and preferences. The residential environment shall be designed to encourage family and community involvement. The services available to residents, either directly or through contracts or agreements, are intended to help residents remain as independent as possible. Assisted living, which promotes resident choice, autonomy, and decision making, should be based on a contract model designed to result in a negotiated agreement between the resident or the resident’s representative and the provider, clearly identifying the services to be provided. This model assumes that residents are able to direct services provided for them and will designate a representative to direct these services if they themselves are unable to do so. This model supports the principle that there is an acceptable balance between consumer protection and resident willingness to accept risk and that most consumers are competent to make their own judgments about the services they are obtaining. Regulation of assisted living establishments and shared housing establishments must be sufficiently flexible to allow residents to age in place within the parameters of this Act. The administration of this Act and services provided must therefore ensure that the residents have the rights and responsibilities to direct the scope of services they receive and to make individual choices based on their needs and preferences. These establishments shall be operated in a manner that provides the least restrictive and most homelike environment and that promotes independence, autonomy, individuality, privacy, dignity, and the right to negotiated risk in residential surroundings. It is not the intent of the State that establishments licensed under this Act be used as halfway houses for alcohol and substance abusers.