Places to Stay Near the Hospital 2026: Lodging Checklist

When treatment is in another city, the bed is the bill nobody warns you about. The American Cancer Society says lodging alone during a typical six- to eight-week course of surgery and radiation “can cost up to $17,000.” There is a whole network of nonprofit houses built for exactly this, and most people find out about it too late.

Note: these are nonprofit programs, not government programs. The American Cancer Society, Fisher House Foundation, Joe’s House and the member houses of the Healthcare Hospitality Network are private charities. They set their own rules, and there is no single application. The one government piece in this guide is VA travel pay, which is covered near the end.

Esta guía también está disponible en español.

The Four Places to Look

Where	Who it is for	What it costs	How you ask
Hospitality houses (Healthcare Hospitality Network member directory)	Patients and caregivers traveling for care, any diagnosis	”Little or no cost… regardless of income”; each house sets its own policy	Search the member directory by the ZIP code where the patient is treated
ACS Hope Lodge	Cancer patients and their caregivers, outpatient care, in 31 cities	No charge	Short form on the Hope Lodge page or call 1-800-227-2345
Fisher House	Families of veterans and service members at VA and military medical centers	”There is never a charge to stay at a Fisher House”	Contact that house’s manager from the Current Houses list
Joe’s House	Anyone traveling for treatment	Discounted hotels, not free rooms	Search by state and city, or by hospital, at joeshouse.org

Do all four. They barely overlap, and each one misses places the others cover.

How Many Houses Are Out There

The Healthcare Hospitality Network is a membership association, not a chain. It says it is “the only professional membership association in North America with a specific focus on healthcare hospitality housing,” founded in the early 1980s and incorporated in 1986. Its directory lists its own members. A house that never joined will not show up.

How many houses exist in total? HHN’s own page points to a 2025 national study in the Journal of Community Health (Owens et al.) that “documented 502 lodging organizations across the United States serving patients and caregivers traveling for medical care.” On the same page HHN prints three numbers from that study:

From the 2025 national study	Figure
Lodging organizations identified nationally	502
Offer free lodging to guests	52%
Advertise financial assistance	85%

Read those two percentages together before you pack. About half of these organizations charge nothing. The other half charge something — and most of that half say they will help with the cost if you ask. Asking about a hardship waiver is a separate question from asking the nightly rate. Ask both.

Hope Lodge: 31 Cities, 23 States

The American Cancer Society says the program “offers 1,100 rooms at 31 Hope Lodge locations in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.” Here is the whole list, grouped by state, as printed on the English page on September 17, 2026:

State	Hope Lodge cities
Alabama	Birmingham
Florida	Jacksonville, Tampa
Georgia	Atlanta
Hawaii	Honolulu
Iowa	Iowa City
Kentucky	Lexington
Louisiana	New Orleans
Maryland	Baltimore
Massachusetts	Boston
Minnesota	Minneapolis, Rochester
Mississippi	Jackson
Missouri	Kansas City, St. Louis
Nebraska	Omaha
New York	New York, Rochester
North Carolina	Greenville
Ohio	Cleveland
Oklahoma	Oklahoma City
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia
Puerto Rico	San Juan
South Carolina	Charleston
Tennessee	Memphis, Nashville
Texas	Dallas, Houston, Lubbock
Utah	Salt Lake City
Vermont	Burlington

That is 23 states plus Puerto Rico. Twenty-seven states have no Hope Lodge at all — Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. If you live in one of them, the American Cancer Society says to call 1-800-227-2345 for other lodging options.

The list is different in Spanish

This is the part you only see by opening both pages. The American Cancer Society’s Spanish page, Albergue De La Esperanza, lists 33 cities, and two of them are not on the English list: Chicago, Illinois and San Antonio, Texas.

On the English page, San Antonio is not an open Hope Lodge. It sits under the heading “Capital Campaign in Progress,” described as a future house that “will offer 40 private guest suites.” Chicago does not appear on the English page at all.

The Spanish page also drops things the English page has. It says only “más de 30 centros” — more than 30 centers — with no room count. It has no screening questions and no contact form. It tells readers to call 1-800-227-2345, and it does not repeat the English page’s line limiting Hope Lodge to outpatient care.

If you read Spanish, do not assume the two pages say the same thing. Call before you travel to any city on that list.

Fisher House: 34 States and D.C., and Oregon Hides Under Washington

Fisher House Foundation builds homes next to VA and military medical centers and gives them away. “There is never a charge to stay at a Fisher House,” and for VA houses “do not charge a room fee,” while at Army, Navy and Air Force houses all guest room fees “are paid by Fisher House Foundation.”

Its Current Houses list had 71 U.S. entries on September 17, 2026, plus one in Germany and one in the United Kingdom. Several entries cover more than one building — they are marked “I & II” or “I, II, III” — so the number of actual houses is higher than 71.

States with the most entries: Florida and Texas (7 each), California (6), Ohio (4), Maryland, Missouri, Virginia and Washington (3 each).

Sixteen states have no entry: Alabama, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Except Oregon does have one. Under the Washington heading, the list prints “Oregon: VA Portland Health Care System.” A veteran in Portland scanning the list for “Oregon” would find nothing and stop. Scroll to Washington.

The two networks fill each other’s gaps. Alabama, Iowa, Oklahoma and Vermont have a Hope Lodge but no Fisher House entry. California, Illinois, Michigan, Virginia, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Nevada, New Mexico and West Virginia have Fisher House entries but no Hope Lodge.

Hotels for Heroes is not a substitute

Fisher House Foundation also pays for hotel rooms, but the rules are tight. Hotels for Heroes serves families of wounded, injured and ill service members “when a Fisher House is not available,” and “is not intended for general visits during ongoing outpatient care.” Veterans qualify only when the request comes from a Fisher House that is full. And if a room opens at the house, you move: “Choosing to remain at a hotel will be at the family’s expense.”

What a Room Actually Looks Like — and What It Costs

Hospitality houses are not hotels and not shelters. HHN describes “private rooms, shared kitchens, common living spaces,” located near the treatment center on purpose.

Three cost models exist, and people mix them up:

• No charge. Hope Lodge and Fisher House. Nothing to pay.
• Little or nothing, set house by house. Most HHN member houses. Some ask for a voluntary contribution. HHN says lodging is offered “regardless of income,” but each house “sets its own policies.”
• Discounted, not free. Joe’s House. It “lists thousands of places to stay across the country near hospitals and treatments centers that offer a discount for traveling patients.” You still pay a hotel bill — a smaller one. Its search can sort by rate or by distance to a specific hospital.

Checklist: What to Ask Before You Book

Have the treatment center’s address and the patient’s treatment dates in front of you, then work down this list:

Ask	Why it matters
Is the patient inpatient or outpatient?	Hope Lodge is for outpatient care. The answer changes which houses you can use.
What is the nightly cost, and is there a hardship waiver?	52% of lodging organizations are free; 85% advertise financial assistance. Two different questions.
Do I need a referral, or can I ask directly?	ACS takes a direct request. Fisher House sends you to the local manager. Some houses require the hospital to refer you.
How many nights, and is there a limit?	Long treatment courses run weeks. Ask what happens when the limit is hit.
Can a caregiver stay too? How many people?	Houses are built for caregivers, but room size and guest limits vary.
How far is it from the hospital, and is there a shuttle?	Houses are usually near the center, but “near” varies. Ask about transport for daily appointments.
What do I bring?	Shared kitchens mean you may cook. Ask about linens, laundry, parking and food.
Is there a waitlist, and what happens if you are full?	Ask now what the fallback is — a partner house, a discounted hotel, or a hospital program.

Write the answers down. You will be calling more than one place, and the rules genuinely differ house to house.

Veterans: VA Pays Part of the Travel, Not the Whole Stay

This part is a government benefit, and the rule is narrower than most people expect. Under 38 CFR 70.30, VA beneficiary travel pays “the actual cost for meals, lodging, or both, not to exceed 50 percent of the amount allowed for government employees under 5 U.S.C. 5702, when VA determines that an overnight stay is required.”

Two limits sit in that one sentence. The rate is half the federal employee per diem for that place, not the hotel’s price. And VA — not you — decides the overnight stay was necessary, weighing “the distance the veteran must travel,” the appointment’s time of day, weather or congestion, and “the veteran’s medical condition and its impact on the ability to travel.”

Two things that help:

• An attendant is paid on the same basis as the veteran (38 CFR 70.30(c)).
• The per-trip deductible stops and can disappear. Under 38 CFR 70.31, VA takes no further deductions in a calendar month “after the completion of six one-way trips,” and must waive the deductible entirely when it “would cause the beneficiary severe financial hardship” — which includes anyone “in receipt of a VA pension” or with income under the 38 U.S.C. 1722(a) threshold. Deductions also do not apply to travel by a non-veteran.

VA says you need a receipt for anything other than mileage, and that it pays “the mileage rate or actual expense, whichever is less.” Note also that a claim with VA-approved temporary lodging cannot be filed through the online tool — that one goes through your VA facility. If you are a veteran or caregiver, see our guide to VA Aid and Attendance vs. Housebound benefits.

The $50-a-Night Tax Rule

If you end up paying for a hotel, the cost may count as a medical expense on your taxes. IRS Publication 502 (2025 edition, for 2025 returns) allows lodging away from home when four things are true: the lodging is “primarily for and essential to medical care”; the care is “provided by a doctor in a licensed hospital or in a medical care facility related to or the equivalent of a licensed hospital”; the lodging “isn’t lavish or extravagant”; and there is “no significant element of personal pleasure, recreation, or vacation in the travel away from home.”

The cap is small and specific: “The amount you include in medical expenses for lodging can’t be more than $50 for each night for each person.” A companion counts — “if a parent is traveling with a sick child, up to $100 per night can be included.” Meals are not included. Mileage to and from treatment counts separately, at 21 cents a mile for 2025.

One catch that erases this for most families: you can only deduct medical costs above 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, and only if you itemize. Keep the receipts anyway, then ask a tax preparer.

Programs to Line Up at the Same Time

• Hospital bill forgiveness (charity care) — nonprofit hospitals must have a written financial assistance policy. Ask about it in the same phone call.
• 211 — one free call that can point to local lodging, transport, food and utility help while you are away.
• Rides to medical appointments — a room near the hospital still leaves the daily trip to solve.
• Community health centers — for follow-up care closer to home once treatment ends.
• Dementia caregiver help — if you are the caregiver, a 24/7 nonprofit helpline for your own questions.

How We Checked This

What we opened and read ourselves, on September 17, 2026. The Healthcare Hospitality Network’s home page, About HHN, What is a Healthcare Hospitality House? and its member directory. The American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge page and its Spanish version, city by city. Fisher House Foundation’s Houses page, including the full Current Houses list and the FAQ. Joe’s House. The federal rules 38 CFR 70.30 and 38 CFR 70.31, pulled through the eCFR’s own API at the title 38 issue of August 27, 2026. VA’s travel pay page. The IRS Publication 502 PDF (2025 edition).

Something you only see in the source itself. The American Cancer Society’s English and Spanish Hope Lodge pages do not list the same cities. English: 31. Spanish: 33, including Chicago, IL and San Antonio, TX. On the English page San Antonio appears only under “Capital Campaign in Progress” — a house being built, not open — and Chicago appears nowhere. A Spanish-speaking family could arrange treatment around a Hope Lodge that is not there. The Spanish page also leaves out the room count, the screening questions, the contact form and the sentence limiting Hope Lodge to outpatient care.

Where the common belief and the source do not match.

• “Hope Lodge is for families of hospitalized patients.” The page says it “is available to cancer patients and caregivers traveling far from home for outpatient medical care related to the patient’s cancer diagnosis.”
• “A social worker has to refer you.” Not to Hope Lodge — the American Cancer Society takes a request directly from the patient or caregiver through a form on its own page. Fisher House sends you to the local house manager, because “the commander or director of each medical center” sets the criteria, not the foundation.
• “Fisher House is only for active duty.” “Fisher Houses are open to all veterans of all eras.”
• “Oregon has no Fisher House.” It does. The Current Houses list prints “Oregon: VA Portland Health Care System” under the Washington heading.
• “These houses are all free.” The 2025 study HHN cites found only 52% of 502 lodging organizations offer free lodging. HHN’s own wording is “little or no cost,” and “Some ask for a voluntary contribution.”
• “Joe’s House finds free rooms.” It lists places that “offer a discount for traveling patients.”
• “VA will cover the hotel.” 38 CFR 70.30 caps meals and lodging at 50 percent of the federal employee rate, and only when VA decides an overnight stay was required.

What we could not check.

• We did not call any house. We cannot tell you about availability, waitlists or current rules at a specific location.
• We could not count HHN member houses. The member directory builds its results with JavaScript and returned no listings to us, so we give no HHN house count and no state breakdown for it.
• Ronald McDonald House Charities is missing from this guide on purpose. Both rmhc.org and ronaldmcdonaldhouse.org returned HTTP 403 to us, so we could not read a single official RMHC page and will not repeat facts we did not verify. HHN’s page names RMHC as “the most widely recognized name in this space.” If you have a child in treatment, ask the children’s hospital about it directly.
• We did not verify the $17,000 lodging figure or the “200,000 people travel 40+ miles” figure independently — both are the American Cancer Society’s own numbers on its page.
• The 502 / 52% / 85% figures are HHN’s presentation of Owens et al. (2025), Journal of Community Health. We did not open the study itself.
• We did not check state Medicaid non-emergency transport lodging rules, which differ by state.
• The 2026 edition of IRS Publication 502 was not available; the current one is the 2025 edition, for 2025 returns. The $50 cap has been in the law for years, but confirm the current year’s publication before filing.

Lists of houses change as programs open, close and join. Treat the counts above as a September 17, 2026 snapshot; the durable advice is to check all four sources and call before you travel.

Hope Lodge, Fisher House, Joe’s House and HHN member houses are nonprofit programs, not government agencies. Rules, costs and availability are set by each house. The VA and IRS rules above are federal and apply nationwide.

Last updated: September 17, 2026

This is general information, not legal or financial advice.