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                                                                     EXHIBIT 3.6

                            CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT
                                       TO
                          CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
                                       OF
                        ALTERNATIVE LIVING SERVICES, INC.


         ALTERNATIVE LIVING SERVICES, INC. (the "Corporation"), a corporation
organized and existing under and by virtue of the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware, does hereby certify:

         FIRST: That, the Board of Directors of the Corporation unanimously
adopted a resolution setting forth a proposed amendment to the Restated
Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, declaring said amendment to be
advisable, and directing that said amendment be presented to the stockholders of
the Corporation for consideration at the annual meeting of the stockholders. The
resolution setting forth the proposed amendment is as follows:

         "RESOLVED, that the Corporation's Restated Certificate of Incorporation
     be amended to change the name of the Corporation and that such amendment be
     effected by deleting Article 1 of the Corporation's Restated Certificate of
     Incorporation in its entirety and substituting in lieu thereof:

                                   "Article 1

         The name of the Corporation is ALTERRA HEALTHCARE CORPORATION."

         SECOND: That thereafter an annual meeting of the stockholders of the
Corporation was duly called and held, upon notice in accordance with Section 222
of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, at which meeting the
foregoing resolution was adopted by a majority of the holders of the
Corporation's outstanding common stock entitled to vote at the annual meeting of
the stockholders.

         THIRD:  That the aforesaid amendment was duly adopted in accordance
with the provisions of Section 242 of the General Corporation Law of the State
of Delaware.

         FOURTH:  This Amendment shall not become  effective until and shall
become effective at 5:00 p.m. (local time in Dover, Delaware) on May 19, 1998.


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                  IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this
certificate to be signed as of this 19th day of May, 1999.

                                           ALTERNATIVE LIVING SERVICES, INC.


                                           By: /s/ William F. Lasky
                                               ------------------------------
                                               William F. Lasky, President
Attested by:

/s/ Thomas E. Komula
- ----------------------------
Thomas E. Komula, Secretary