Lodging

Hosts for Hospitals

4719 Pine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19143

Traveling to Philadelphia for medical care used to bring with it worry about accommodations during your stay. Not anymore--thanks to the in-home hospitality of Hosts for Hospitals.

A unique nonprofit program, Hosts for Hospitals provides free or minimal cost lodging at private volunteer-host homes for out-of-town patients receiving care at Philadelphia-area hospitals and their families.

Description of a Host Home

Host homes range from apartments to brownstones to single-family homes. In addition to welcoming guests for a comfortable stay, hosts serve as a local resource, providing directions to the hospital, grocery stores and the nearest public transportation. Hosts for Hospitals screens each host and conducts an on-site inspection of the host's home before they begin volunteering with the program.

Meals and transportation are the responsibility of the guests; however, many hosts help out in these areas, such as offering use of their kitchen, at least for light meals. Hosts will explain whatever additional services they wish to provide when you first speak by phone.

Eligibility Requirements

Guests must live far enough from the hospital that commuting is difficult;
Have a permanent home to return to;
Be an important support person for a patient receiving medical care in the Philadelphia area;
Be unlikely to put the host family at risk in any manner.

Information for Patients

Hosts for Hospitals strongly recommends that patients who stay as guests bring a support person to accompany them. Patients traveling alone must be able to care for themselves independently.
Potential guests must submit an application and a reference, usually from a physician or other healthcare provider. Hosts for Hospitals carefully reviews all potential guests and matches them with a host home that best meets their needs.

Reservations