How Are We Different?
LilyPads: an innovative solution to meeting the demand for medical housing in the Charlottesville area. One of our strengths as an organization is that our available lodging is not finite as it is with a “brick and mortar” establishment. If we find we need to be able to accommodate more guests, we have the ability to recruit more host homes in order to meet this need. This aspect of our organization places us in a unique position to be able to easily grow in response to the growth in the pediatric patient population of area hospitals.
Another area of strength for our organization is in providing a healing and emotionally supportive environment. Our guests are not placed in an impersonal hotel. Instead, they are staying within a family home and have the support and caring of a host family. We take each guest’s unique situation into consideration when placing them with a host family to ensure that their needs are perfectly met.
How We are Different
We do not limit the number of support persons to the patient. We welcome all family members and friends and will work to provide accommodation for all.
We welcome siblings or other children that are support persons for the patient.
We work with families in need to arrange lodging anytime, from weeks or months in advance, to the day before arrival so that a place to stay is not a last minute worry.
Guests do not have to spend the majority of their time at the hospital. Guests can come and go from the host home as they arrange with their host family.
There is no limit to the length of stay through our program; though guests may need to be moved from one host home to another during longer stays.
Guests have access to a kitchen at all of our host homes so that they may cook and eat nutritious food.
Our hosts are knowledgeable and accessible resources regarding directions to the host home, to the hospital, to grocery stores, local attractions, and public transportation.
We will have specialty host homes that are specifically equipped for immunocompromised persons, disabled persons, and persons who require language support (Spanish, French, or Mandarin).
Staying with a host family provides guests with emotional support and a feeling of home.
We currently only serve families and friends of the pediatric patient population in Charlottesville, but our vision is to expand to serve anyone with a medical housing need once we have adequately grown our numbers of available host homes.
