Hospital building temporary housing for cancer patients
A project aiming to provide temporary housing for cancer patients and their family members is under construction in Gilbert at the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center at Banner Gateway Medical Center. The first phase is expected to open early next year.
Scottsdale-based homebuilder Taylor Morrison is building 16 houses, with eight in the first phase. Each will be a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit, totaling about 1,000 square feet with a small, enclosed backyard.
“We don’t want to forget anything. These will be really turnkey,” said Steven Hahn, senior vice president of land for Taylor Morrison. The units will be fully furnished and are a walkable distance for patients to go back and forth to the hospital for treatment, or a short golf cart ride away.
The houses are modeled after one of Taylor Morrison’s single-family rental developments, where units look like single-family homes, but they are for rent instead of for sale.
The Banner Health Foundation has a fund to help patients and their families offset the cost of hotel stays for prolonged treatment, Andy Petersen, president and CEO of the foundation, said. But these units will provide a more comfortable setting, like a full kitchen and convenient location for patients who may need to stay for weeks at a time.
“This allows patients and their caregivers to stay right on site,” Petersen said. “They get two bedrooms, a kitchen, a sitting room. It’s truly a sanctuary for them.”
Both the fund for discounted hotel rates and the new temporary housing units are part of Banner’s “Home Away from Home” program, to help remove a barrier for cancer treatment.
The houses are being donated by Taylor Morrison, and the Banner Health Foundation is building an endowment to pay for ongoing upkeep, utility costs and other costs of the units. The foundation is currently raising money, with a goal of $7 million, to fund the upkeep with the interest from the money, Petersen said.
Cancer patients who need temporary housing can apply to live in the new units and will be chosen through an eligibility process, Petersen said. Patients who qualify will receive the temporary housing for free.
Patient stays can vary greatly depending on what kind of treatment is needed, she said, but an average stay is between six and eight weeks. For some patients with complex procedures or treatments, the stay can be much longer.
“This is a game changer for cancer patients and their families,” Petersen said. “Often it can be a barrier for patients to get the care they need.”
Doctors and clinicians at the center are aware of the program, and they can refer patients to social workers to connect them with housing options, such as the discounted hotels or eventually the temporary homes, she said.
The Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center sees patients who are from other states and from outside the country, Petersen said. About 330 of the cancer center’s patients last year came from outside Arizona.
At any time, it is possible for about 50 patients to need temporary housing.
Petersen said there are other cancer centers with housing options, but most are hotel-like settings, not a fully furnished unit with two bedrooms and a kitchen.
The first eight houses are expected to be complete near the beginning of 2024, with eight more units planned. The 16 units could accommodate about 60 patients and their loved ones in a year, depending how long they need to stay.