Over the years, The Boston House has grown to keep pace with the needs of our families and hospital partners. This included the creation of seven Bone Marrow Transplant Apartments—the first of their kind in the country— and six additional studio apartments with a rooftop parking deck. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, these apartments have given our families a no-cost home to stay in along with home like amenities like free WIFI, laundry and household staples, toys, books and movies for children, cleaning services, and meals cooked by volunteers.

 

Constructed 30 years ago, our parking deck, which forms the 2,860 square foot roof of our Annex’s studio apartments, is at end-of-life status. Its waterproofing system has begun to fail, and it is imperative that we replace it before water damage becomes an issue, affecting the safety of our families in the Annex. The construction project will take approximately 12-16 weeks to complete with an estimated cost of $655,619. The new parking deck and waterproofing system, along with underground drainage improvements alongside the edges of the Annex building, should be expected to have an extended lifespan of 20-40 years. The deck will be able to accommodate 12 vehicles for usage by our families saving them from the expense of parking at the hospital.

 

While the project is underway, our existing and returning families will need to be rehoused, which will incur unforeseen additional costs of at least $30,000. We are working with our hospital partners to secure alternative housing of between $30-$250 a night per family at our cost. An average family stays at The House for 11 days and a family whose child is undergoing a Bone Marrow Transplant has an average of 47 nights. The rehousing cost per night will depend on availability of housing in the community and the needs of each individual family. We will continue to provide housing for any of our families in need at no cost to them during construction so they can focus on the wellbeing of themselves and their loved ones and avoid experiencing financial hardships while on a long healthcare journey.

 

We are excited to have a matching gift challenge from the Bolger Foundation, which will provide us $125,000 towards the construction and rehousing if we raise an additional $125,000. Your support will help us continue to provide no-cost housing for families in need throughout construction and be matched dollar for dollar.