The new House - background

Why is a new House needed?

Ronald McDonald House Wellington provides free accommodation to families who need to stay in Wellington while their child is receiving specialist medical treatment at Wellington Hospital.  The current House has 12 bedrooms and supports over 420 families each year.

In recent years, there has been an increase in families needing accommodation. This will only increase further when the new Wellington Regional Hospital opens in 2008-09.

How many more families will the new House accommodate?

Planning for a new 34 bedroom House has begun – accommodating an extra 22 families.

Why such a big House?

The extra space and rooms are needed to accommodate the increased demand that will result from the expansion of Wellington Hospital.

Why does the House need to be across from the hospital?

We want to ensure that parents are as close as possible to their children. The proximity also ensures ease of access so that sick children can take time out of the hospital if appropriate.

Why does the House have so many new facilities?

We've asked families who stay with us for ideas on how to make their stay more enjoyable. We've taken these ideas onboard when planning the new house and have included what we believe to be reasonable requests. The families staying at our House are under a lot stress. Facilities like a media room and gym ease some of the burden.

Aren't there other Houses in the region?

No, this is the only House in the Central Region. It is for families that have children who require the specialist services of Wellington Hospital. There are also Houses in Auckland and Christchurch which are separate Charitable Trusts.

Why do you want to build it so soon?

We want to meet the extra demand that will result from the expansion of Wellington Regional Hospital in 2008-09.

What's happening to the old House?

We plan to sell the existing House to help fund the new project. The Trust would prefer that it remains in the hands of an organisation with similar values to ours.

What will be different about the new House?

The rooms will be flexible to accommodate different sized families, for example, a king-sized bed that can easily convert into two single beds. We'll have more designated play areas and other facilities, including a gym, art room and media room that will make a family's stay more enjoyable.