For families whose children are hospitalized, every night counts. The new family housing facility at Shriners Children’s Texas provides clean, bright rooms just steps from life-changing care — a place to rest, recharge and focus on their child.
Roughly three years ago, Shriners Children’s Texas, located in Galveston, broke ground on a 40-room housing facility for parents and guardians staying with their children. That new stand-alone building, along with an adjacent parking garage, opened in late 2024 — and it’s been busy ever since.
Most hospitals recognize the need for nearby lodging for families who want to stay close to their loved ones during hospitalization. But the need is more acute for a children’s hospital — and even more so for one that provides burn care, complex orthopedics and rehabilitation therapy, like Shriners Children’s Texas. Those patients may need to be in the hospital, or near it, for weeks or even months at a time.
Other Shriners Children’s locations have available lodging through partners such as Ronald McDonald House Charities. And Shriners Children’s Hawai‘i operates its own smaller lodge. But it made particular sense for the Galveston hospital to build dedicated housing, given that the island’s popularity as a tourist destination often makes hotels and apartment rentals hard to find and expensive.
Of the 40 units, six are set aside for visiting medical professionals — doctors and nurses who travel to the hospital to train and observe Shriners Children’s best practices. The remaining suites are reserved for families, who can come and go easily between the hospital and the facility.
The rooms themselves are a cross between a hospital room and a hotel room. They include two beds, a couch, a desk, an ADA-accessible bathroom and small refrigerators for medication storage. Families can share meals in the community kitchen and lounge, bringing together parents and children on similar journeys.
Among the first to experience that comfort were mother and son Jesika and Jameson, the first family to officially settle into the new housing facility. For them, it meant more than a place to sleep — it was a chance to rest, recover and find community.
Jesika and her son Jameson were among the first families to settle into Shriners Children’s Texas’ new housing facility, where they can enjoy comfort, community and peace of mind just steps away from the hospital.
Occupancy has been remarkably high since opening. This past July, for example, only eight of the 40 rooms were unoccupied. “The families love it,” said resource navigator Sarai Jimenez, who manages the housing. “The impact goes well beyond convenience. It gives families peace of mind because being here gives them more time to focus on their child, rather than worrying about where t
The adjoining parking garage has also brought welcome relief to patients and visitors as parking on Galveston Island is limited. Together, the housing and garage project represent a significant upgrade to the Shriners Children’s Texas campus — and a tangible example of how Shriners Children’s cares not just for patients, but their families as well.
Leslie Stewart, M.D., president of Shriners Children’s, shared this during the ribbon-cutting: “This new facility provides comfort, community and peace of mind for our families. It’s another way we fulfill our mission — to care for every child, and every family, with compassion and excellence.”
