2014-353 Arts - SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals for Spring 2014 Arts Grant Agreement $1,500

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SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals Grant Application May 23, 2014 , Orange County Arts Commission Application Narrative Page 1 Since March 2008, families from across North Carolina, and even beyond, have found comfort and community at SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals. Our mission is to provide SECU an affordable, safe, nurturing home away from home for seriously ill patients, their family FAMILY HOUSE az UNC members, and caregivers from throughout North Carolina and beyond. What families find when they come here is more than a roof over their heads. Kind and compassionate volunteers and staff help them to navigate an unfamiliar town and serve as resources to make people feel at home. Our guests are families—primarily from North Carolina (in 2013 it was 89%)—who have left their homes and support systems seeking top-notch medical care at UNC Hospitals. Thanks to Family House, though, these families don't have to face lonely nights in hotels and expensive meals out. We witness every day the true friendships formed as guests gather in the kitchen and share their stories, checking in on how the patient is faring, and the caregiver. Volunteers prepare home-cooked meals most weeknights, along with some weekend meals and breakfasts. And community donations keep our pantry stocked with food, so that a family staying with us can avoid having to pay for meals. In addition to housing, meals and community, we offer a number of practical amenities: • Close proximity and free Chapel Hill bus service to the hospital • Extensive video and book libraries • Easy access to walking trails and the North Carolina Botanical Gardens • A children's playroom with toys, games and books • A Great Room with a fireplace and a solarium for community or family gatherings • Occasional personal services: massage, facials, manicures, pet therapy and more • And more than 100 active volunteers who help keep the House running, neat and organized, and who patiently minister to the needs of our guests. Our primary program is our operation. It costs us $82 nightly to operate each of our 40 rooms, every day of the year (and with an average occupancy of 95%, our operation needs are high). We charge just $35 nightly for our standard rooms, and $50 nightly for our kitchenette-equipped suites which serve our transplant and other immuno-suppressed patients. Many of our guests have insurance plans, including Medicaid, that sometimes cover the cost of lodging during extended hospital treatment, but many are uninsured or have plans that do not cover the cost of lodging. We raise funds so that we can afford to lower our rates to $5 or $10 nightly when families cannot afford to pay more. In addition to comfortable rooms and meals, we are delighted to offer a Music & Arts Program. One of our goals is to ensure that families find respite and relief when they come home from the hospital at the end of the day. Through this program, which the Orange County Arts Commission helped fund in 2013, we offer evening entertainment an average of 1-2 nights a week. It is a wonderful opportunity both for families to enjoy quality music and performances, and provides a meaningful opportunity for local artists to give back and serve their community.