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EXHIBIT 23.1          CONSENT OF KPMG LLP



The Board of Directors
Alternative Living Services, Inc.:

We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statements (No.
333-32907) on Form S-8, (No. 333-37737) on Form S-3, (No. 333-38595) on Form
S-8, (No. 333-39705) on Form S-3, and (No. 333-45433) on Form S-3 of Alternative
Living Services, Inc. of our report dated February 22, 1999, relating to the
consolidated balance sheets of Alternative Living Services, Inc. and
subsidiaries as of December 31, 1998 and 1997, and the related consolidated
statements of operations, changes in stockholders' equity and cash flows for
each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 1998, which report
appears in the December 31, 1998, annual report on Form 10-K of Alternative
Living Services, Inc.



KPMG LLP

Chicago, Illinois
March 29, 1999



































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