Lodging

Other Helpful Organizations

Lodging

Other Helpful Organizations

2-1-1

Population served: Everyone in the U.S. (check the website for availability in your area)
Mission:

2-1-1 is the telephone number of a call center that offers information and provides referrals to health and human services for everyday needs and in times of crisis. Services vary from community to community.

Examples of service referrals include:

  • Basic human need resources: food banks, clothing, shelters, rent assistance and utility assistance
  • Physical and mental health resources: medical information lines, crisis intervention services, counseling, drug and alcohol intervention
  • Employment support: unemployment benefits, financial assistance, job training, transportation assistance and education programs
  • Support for older Americans and persons with disabilities: home healthcare, adult daycare, congregate meals, Meals on Wheels, respite care, transportation and homemaker services
  • Support for children, youth and families: childcare, family resource centers, summer camps and recreation programs, mentoring, tutoring and protective services.

2-1-1 Canada

Population served: Certain sections of Canada (check the website for availability in your area)
Mission:

2-1-1 is the telephone number of a call center that offers information and provides referrals to health and human services for everyday needs and in times of crisis. Services vary from community to community.

Examples of service referrals include:

  • Health services and support
  • Financial and social assistance
  • Housing and utility help
  • Food assistance and meal programs
  • Senior services and home care
  • Government program assistance
  • Parenting and family programs
  • Disability support services
  • Volunteer organizations
  • Newcomer services
  • Mental health support

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF)

Contact: 610-649-3034 or 866-333-1213
Population served: Children with cancer and their families, caregivers, young adults, healthcare professionals and researchers related to childhood cancer
Mission:

To change the lives of children with cancer through funding impactful research, raising awareness, supporting families, and empowering everyone to help cure childhood cancer.

  • Travel For Care Program offers financial assistance to eligible families for travel for childhood cancer treatment at medical institutions in the U.S. and Canada.  Patient must be diagnosed by age 18 and be under 21 and in active oncology treatment following a relapse, or enrolling in or currently participating in a clinical trial for active oncology treatment or a treatment innovation not available at their local institution. Applications must be submitted by a social worker or medical representative. 
  • Childhood Cancer Treatment Journal is a free treatment organizer for families of childhood cancer to help parents keep track of important treatment information.
  • Ambassadors Program involves family members and friends of a childhood cancer hero who choose to get more involved with ALSF.
  • My Childhood Cancer: Survey Series aims to better understand how childhood cancer affects families.
  • SuperSibs Programs aim to comfort, encourage and empower siblings during their family’s battle against childhood cancer.
  • Offers a free guide for education professionals to help patients, their siblings, and classmates cope with a diagnosis or death in their school community.

American Cancer Society (ACS)

Contact: 800-227-2345
Population served: People affected by a cancer internationally; programs and services offered to patients and caregivers residing in the United States
Other language(s): Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese
Mission:

In the U.S., ACS is a community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem.

  • Provides educational materials both online and in print about cancer, including blood cancers, as well as related information on topics such as diet, exercise, complementary and alternative medicine, and disease statistics
  • Offers support services via online discussion boards and in-person support groups through local chapters
  • Cancer Survivors NetworkSM, a global online community, transcends geographic boundaries and builds bonds among cancer survivors and caregivers through shared experiences and feelings
  • Road to Recovery, a program offered locally by some chapters, has volunteer drivers who transport patients to and from treatment appointments
  • Hope Lodges are temporary housing accommodations for patients traveling far from home for treatment. There are more than 30 lodges
  • American Cancer Society’s Wig Bank - Provides free wigs from limited supply to needy patients suffering hair loss due to cancer treatment. Intended for those with insufficient insurance coverage for cranial prostheses (wigs).

CancerFinances.org

Contact: Website
Population served: Cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, advocates, and health professionals
Mission:

To provide individuals diagnosed with cancer with information and tools to help make sound financial decisions before, during, and after cancer treatment

  • Online ‘Toolkit’ offers targeted information about health insurance, disability insurance, education, employment, family building, medical bills, financial assistance, and more.

Cancer Support Community (CSC)

Contact: 888-793-9355
Population served: People affected by cancer in the U.S. and Canada
Other language(s): Spanish
Mission:

To provide support, education and hope to people affected by cancer; to ensure that all people impacted by cancer are empowered by knowledge, strengthened by action, and sustained by community.

  • Offers support through a network of more than 52 local affiliates and 175 locations
  • Cancer Support Helpline® - offers resources and emotional support via phone or live chat, and is staffed by licensed mental health professionals
  • MyLifeLine - create a private, personal webpage to help keep family and friends stay involved and informed
  • Frankly Speaking About Cancer® – education series that provides trusted information on a variety of topics important to people affected by cancer; information is available in a variety of formats
  • Virtual Home - resources to connect you to education, support, and action opportunities to enhance your health and well-being from the comfort of your computer
  • Open to Options – provides general information about clinical trials, helps patients identify important questions about treatment options and decisions based upon personal needs
  • CancerSupportSource® - a tool that assesses distress in key areas (such as sleep, nutrition, worry about the future) and provides referral and follow-up care for all patients
  • Cancer Experience Registry - a unique online community that brings people impacted by cancer together to make their voices heard, connect with each other, share experiences, learn from and help others
  • Cancer Transitions – an evidence-based programs for cancer survivors who have completed their treatment (in partnership with LIVESTRONG)

Compass To Care Childhood Cancer Foundation

Contact: 563-231-0458 or 773-657-3269
Population served: Families with children under age 18 in active cancer treatment in the contiguous U.S.
Mission:

To provide a free non-emergency medical transportation solution to access life-saving cancer treatment and clinical trials for children fighting cancer and facing poverty or cancer-related financial toxicity.

  • Provides help with travel to the hospital (must be at least 60 miles one way from home) to parents with demonstrated financial need, whose child is under 18 years old and in active cancer treatment.  A doctor, nurse, or social worker must make the referral.

Family Reach

Contact: Website
Population served: Cancer patients and their families within the 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and U.S. territories
Mission:

Dedicated to removing the financial barriers standing between a cancer patient and their treatment.

  • Delivers financial education, financial planning, resource navigation, and emergency relief funds to patients and caregivers facing a cancer diagnosis so no family has to choose between their health and their home.  Patient must have a cancer diagnosis; be in active treatment or have completed treatment within 1 year; receive treatment within the US, Puerto Rico or US territories; be represented by a healthcare professional from the treatment center who can communicate with Family Reach on their behalf.

Healthcare Hospitality Network (HHN)

Contact: 800-542-9730
Population served: Patients, families and their loved ones who are receiving medical treatment far from their home communities.
Mission:

Nationwide professional association of nearly 200 unique, nonprofit organizations whose mission is to support homes that help and heal to be more effective in their service to patients and families.

  • Hospital hospitality houses provide free or significantly reduced cost lodging to patients and their families while receiving medical care away from their home communities.

Joe’s House

Contact: 877-563-7468
Population served: People in the U.S. seeking temporary lodging when away from home for cancer treatment; some lodging options accept any patient regardless of illness
Mission:

To centralize the various lodging options and to streamline the reservations process.

  • Website lists thousands of places to stay across the country near hospitals and treatment centers that offer a discount for traveling patients and their loved ones
  • Users may search for accommodations by city or proximity to a cancer treatment center or hospitals
  • Works with hotels and other lodging facilities to centralize inventory and provide medical discounts to cancer patients.

Lazarex Cancer Foundation

Contact: 877-866-9523 or 925-820-4517
Population served: Cancer patients in the US
Other language(s): Spanish, Mandarin, Korean
Mission:

To improve access to clinical trials for cancer patients

  • Helps cancer patients navigate clinical trial options
  • Offers financial assistance (such as lodging and transportation costs) for participation in FDA approved clinical trials; call for eligibility details

  • Provides community outreach and education.


Live Like Bella Childhood Cancer Foundation

Contact: 786-505-3914
Population served: Families whose child is under the age of 21 and diagnosed with a pediatric cancer before age 18
Mission:

To be a leader in childhood cancer research and advocacy while providing financial and emotional support to families whose children are battling cancer.

  • Provides financial assistance for a variety of needs to pediatric cancer families while the child is undergoing treatment; social worker from treatment facility must apply on behalf of the family
  • Works with funeral homes to provide assistance towards memorial costs for children whose battle with cancer has ended
  • Funds pediatric cancer research.

Open Arms Foundation

Contact: 901-435-5395 or openarms@maac.com
Population served: People in the U.S. seeking temporary lodging when away from home for medical treatment
Other language(s): Spanish
Mission:

To provide a home away from home at no cost for those who must travel to receive medical treatment

  • Open Arms has fully furnished apartments in various US cities for patients who need to travel at least 50 miles away to receive medical treatment.  There is a minimum stay of 30 days.  The Foundation takes care of the rent and basic utilities.  The patient’s medical facility will need to provide documentation of active treatment.  All occupants 18 years of age or older must successfully pass a community background screening (paid for by the organization).  Call or email for additional details and eligibility criteria.

Ronald McDonald House Charities

Contact: 630-623-7048
Population served: Seriously ill or injured children and their families in the U.S. and some international locations; non-profit organizations; students
Mission:

To create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families

  • Offers 685 programs worldwide in 65 countries and regions
  • Ronald McDonald Houses provide a home-away-from home for families so they can stay close to their hospitalized child at little or no cost
  • Ronald McDonald Family Rooms offer a place to rest and regroup right at the hospital
  • Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles deliver pediatric health care services
  • Provides grants to non-profit organizations that also focus on the needs of children
  • Offers scholarships to students across the U.S.

The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation

Contact: 302-563-8389
Population served: Families of children with cancer in the U.S.
Mission:

To fund research to find cures for childhood cancers and treatment protocols; to provide financial assistance to families of children with cancer nationwide.

  • Provides grants to minimize the financial hardship that is directly attributable to the child’s illness; application form and eligibility criteria available on website.

The Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation

Contact: 212-838-3029 or 800-365-1336
Population served: Transplant patients and families, caregivers, survivors in the US
Mission:

To improve the quality of life for cancer and transplant patients and their families by providing vital financial assistance, comprehensive resources, educational information, physician referrals, and emotional support programs.

  • Patient Navigators provide guidance and support to anyone faced with a cancer diagnosis or needing a bone marrow or hematopoietic cell transplant
  • Lifeline Fund provides financial support to help cover the costs of donor searches, medications, home and child care services, medical equipment, transportation, cord blood banking, housing costs and other expenses associated with transplant​
  • Carelines provides social media tools for crowdfunding, journaling and a volunteer task calendar for anyone with a cancer diagnosis or receiving a bone marrow, stem cell or cord blood transplant 
  • Scholarship Grants help make educational aspirations a reality for bone marrow, stem cell or cord blood transplant survivors
  • Clinical Care Counseling provides confidential individual and family supportive counseling, financial guidance and resource referrals for cancer, transplant patients, and family members
  • Ask the Expert enables individuals to anonymously pose questions concerning transplantation and to have them answered by transplant specialists
  • SupportLine links transplant patients and their families with volunteers who have gone through the transplant experience
  • Support Groups provide patients, families and caregivers the opportunity to share experiences and draw support from one another
  • Medical and Educational Handbooks provide comprehensive transplant information and resources

The National Children’s Cancer Society

Contact: 314-241-1600 or 800-532-6459
Population served: Children with cancer and their families, caregivers, survivors, health professionals
Mission:

To provide emotional, financial, and educational support to children with cancer, their families, and survivors.

  • Transportation Assistance Fund alleviates the financial burden of travel and lodging for families who have a child with cancer, when a child needs to stay near the hospital for treatment and nonprofit lodging is unavailable.
  • Emergency Assistance Fund provides limited funds for emergency expenses to families who have a child that has been inpatient or away from home for an extended period. 
  • Online community provides a private network for parents, caregivers, and survivors of childhood cancer to connect, share, and offer support to one another.
  • The "Beyond the Cure" Survivorship Program (BTC) prepares survivors and their families for life after cancer. The Late Effects After Treatment Tool (LEATT) provides a personal online assessment of potential late effects based on their specific diagnosis and treatment.
  • The "Beyond the Cure" Ambassador Scholarship Program awards college scholarships to childhood cancer survivors to help them achieve their future goals.  
  • Mentorship Program pairs a younger child in treatment (ages 10-17) with a scholarship recipient who becomes a trusted ally as they face the challenges of childhood cancer. 
  • Provides resources and free publications to families and healthcare professionals
  • Global Outreach Program partners with pharmaceutical companies to distribute donated cancer treatment drugs and medical supplies around the world.