In 1983, a group of Bostonians founded Hospitality Homes after seeing families sleep on hospital floors or in cars to be near their sick loved ones.
Now in its 28th year, the nonprofit has provided more than 11,000 families from around the world with inviting lodging at modest or no cost while in Boston for life-saving treatment.
Serious illness can exhaust the emotional and financial resources of patients and their caregivers. Led by Executive Director Caryl I. Goodman, PhD, (pictured far right) Hospitality Homes helps families cope with both the costs and stress of long-term treatment.
The only organization of its kind in the Boston area, Hospitality Homes is open to any patient, regardless of diagnosis, income, age or place of treatment. The program matches patients and families with host families, who open their hearts as well as their homes to their guests.
“The safest radiation treatment for our child was at the Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center at Mass General in Boston, far from friends and family,” writes Jennifer Thames of Seattle. “Our wonderful hosts turned what could have been a lonely and fearful time into a warm, welcoming home stay.”
