Free vs Paid Lodging Near MD Anderson (2026 Guide)
Last checked: October 21, 2026. Programs change their rules and rates. Confirm with each program before you plan around it.
If you or someone you love is coming to Houston for treatment at MD Anderson, finding a place to stay can feel like a second job. There are good free and low-cost programs near the Texas Medical Center (TMC). Most of them have eligibility rules, a referral process and a waitlist. Hotels and furnished apartments cost more, but you can usually book them on your own dates.
This guide puts the main options side by side: what each one costs, who qualifies, how to apply, and when each one fits best. We're Furnished Apartment Medical Center, part of Houston Corporate Housing, so yes, we're one of the paid options. We've written this so you can pick what fits you best. That may be one of the nonprofits below, and if you qualify for one, we'd encourage you to apply.
Quick answer
Free: American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, Hospitality Apartments (a cleaning fee applies), A Shelter for Cancer Families, and Ronald McDonald House for pediatric patients (a donation is suggested, but no family is turned away).
Low cost: Halo House (for blood cancer patients) and Houston Haven.
Paid, book on your own dates: hotels with MD Anderson patient rates, and furnished apartments such as ours.
Best plan for most families: apply to every nonprofit you qualify for as early as you can, and line up a paid backup for the dates a waitlist can't cover. Both Hospitality Apartments and Halo House tell applicants to have other plans ready.
Cost and eligibility comparison (as of Oct 2026)
ACS Hope Lodge Houston: Free. Eligibility: Cancer patients in active treatment, age 18+ (per ACS). MD Anderson's lodging list adds: lives more than 40 miles or one hour away; must be accompanied by a caregiver. How to get a room: Referral from your treatment team's doctor or social worker; first-referred, first-served. Features: 64 guest rooms, community kitchens, free laundry; transportation may be available (ask the lodge). Source: ACS Hope Lodge Houston; MD Anderson Lodging List: Other
Ronald McDonald House Greater Houston: $25 per family per night suggested donation. No family is turned away for inability to pay. Eligibility: Families of seriously ill or injured children treated at partner hospitals, including MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital. How to get a room: Hospital social worker referral. Rooms depend on space. Features: 126 private rooms across 5 TMC locations, meals, laundry. Source: RMHC Greater Houston; What We Do
Hospitality Apartments: Rent-free, plus a $140 cleaning fee paid at check-in. Eligibility: Patients treated in the TMC area who live more than 50 miles away and have a 24/7 caregiver. Stays run up to three months. How to get a room: Call (713) 790-9120 to join the waitlist (typically 2–3 months), then check in every four weeks to stay on it. Features: 46 furnished apartments. Source: Requesting a Stay
Halo House: $25/day for a 1BR, $35/day for a 2BR, plus an $85 cleaning fee and a $100 deposit. Eligibility: Patients in active blood cancer treatment (leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma) at TMC who live more than 50 miles away (more than 25 miles for stem cell transplant patients with a doctor's order). A caregiver must live in the apartment. Financial hardship is attested. Stays run up to three months. How to get a room: Online application and waitlist (1–3 months). Features: Full kitchen, washer/dryer, Wi-Fi, free weekday shuttle. Source: Am I Eligible?; Our Apartments
A Shelter for Cancer Families: No cost to families. Eligibility: Cancer families of any age, cancer type or income seeking care in the TMC. How to get a room: Contact the organization (713-497-5365). Features: Home-away-from-home lodging and support. Source: cancerfamilies.org
Houston Haven: $30–$35/night, plus a $350–$500 refundable deposit and a $150 cleaning fee. Eligibility: Patients (adults or children) in active treatment at TMC who live more than 60 miles from Houston. A caregiver over 21 is required, with some radiation-only exceptions. Stays run up to three months. No pets. How to get a room: Online application, waitlist, phone interview and background check. Features: 13 homes within about 5 miles of TMC, full kitchen, laundry, utilities, Wi-Fi. Source: Our Houses
Hotels with MD Anderson patient rates: Varies. For example, Rotary House rooms start at $165/night (from MD Anderson's site), and listed hotels offer about 10–15% off with a corporate ID. Rates rise at peak times. Eligibility: Patients, family members and caregivers. How to get a room: Book through MD Anderson's lodging list or Joe's House using the listed code. Features: Daily housekeeping. Some have shuttles. Kitchens are usually limited. Source: MD Anderson Hotel Lodging List (updated July 2026); Rotary House rates
Furnished Apartment Medical Center (FAMC): Quote by dates and building; call 713-909-7725. Eligibility: Patients, caregivers, families and medical staff. No referral or waitlist needed. How to get a room: Call 713-909-7725 or request a quote. Features: Fully furnished with a full kitchen, in-unit washer/dryer, utilities and Wi-Fi included, free parking, pool and gym, buildings near or across from MD Anderson, 24/7 support. We bill insurers and adjusters directly. Source: This site
Hope Lodge distance and caregiver rules are from MD Anderson's lodging list. Fees and rules come from each program's own website as of October 21, 2026, except where noted. Rates can change without notice.
The free options, explained
American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Houston
Hope Lodge provides free lodging for cancer patients and caregivers traveling from home for outpatient cancer care. The Houston lodge, opened in 2021, offers 64 guest rooms with private bathrooms, fully equipped community kitchens and free laundry rooms, according to ACS. Guests must be 18 or older, and ACS says transportation to treatment may be available, so ask the lodge team about current options. MD Anderson's lodging list notes that patients must live more than 40 miles or one hour away and be accompanied by a caregiver.
The key detail is that you can't book Hope Lodge yourself. Your treatment facility's doctor or social worker makes the referral, and rooms go first-referred, first-served (ACS). Ask your MD Anderson social worker about it at your first visit.
Ronald McDonald House Greater Houston
If the patient is a child, start here. RMHC Greater Houston has 126 private rooms and 15 family lounges across five TMC locations, including one inside MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital (RMHC Houston). The suggested donation is $25 per family per night, but no family is ever turned away for being unable to pay (RMHC Houston). Referrals go through the hospital's social work team.
Hospitality Apartments
Hospitality Apartments has 46 furnished apartments and charges no rent, only a $140 cleaning fee at check-in. Patients must live more than 50 miles from the TMC and have a caregiver with them around the clock. Demand is high: the waitlist usually runs two to three months, and you have to call at least every four weeks to keep your place. The program itself tells applicants to have other housing ready in case nothing is open on their need date (Hospitality Apartments).
A Shelter for Cancer Families
A Shelter for Cancer Families has served families for more than 20 years. It welcomes cancer families "regardless of age, cancer type, income or where they are in their cancer journey," at no cost to the families (cancerfamilies.org). Call them to ask about current availability.
The low-cost options
Halo House (blood cancers)
Halo House is for patients in active treatment for leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. One-bedroom apartments are $25 a day and two-bedrooms are $35 a day, plus an $85 cleaning fee and a $100 deposit. Each apartment has a full kitchen and a full-size washer and dryer, and a weekday shuttle runs to the TMC. A caregiver must live in the apartment, and the waitlist can run one to three months (Halo House).
Houston Haven
Houston Haven has 13 homes in residential neighborhoods within about five miles of the TMC. Nightly rates are $30–$35, plus a refundable deposit and a cleaning fee. The homes suit families who want to stay together, siblings included. Guests arrange their own transportation, and pets aren't allowed (Houston Haven).
The paid options
Hotels with MD Anderson patient rates
MD Anderson publishes a hotel lodging list (updated July 2026) of hotels that offer medical rates to patients, family members and caregivers. Many are booked through Joe's House with a corporate ID. Discounts are often around 10–15%, and rates go up at peak times such as the Rodeo and OTC. MD Anderson's own Rotary House, connected to the main campus, lists rooms from $165 a night before tax (MD Anderson).
Hotels work well for a few nights of consults or scans. For longer treatment, a lack of kitchen and laundry space starts to matter, especially if the patient is on a restricted diet.
Furnished apartments near MD Anderson
A furnished apartment sits between a hotel and home. You get a real kitchen, your own washer and dryer, and room for a caregiver, without a referral or a waitlist.
At Furnished Apartment Medical Center, every apartment is fully furnished with a full kitchen, in-unit washer/dryer, and utilities and Wi-Fi included. Parking is free, and the buildings have a pool and gym. Our buildings are near or across from MD Anderson, and support is available 24/7. Over 12 years we've hosted more than 10,000 medical patients and staff. If your stay is covered by an insurer or adjuster, we bill them directly.
Pricing depends on your dates and the building, so we quote each stay individually. Call 713-909-7725 or send us your treatment dates.
How to choose: a simple decision path
Is the patient a child? Contact Ronald McDonald House through your social worker.
Is the patient an adult in active cancer treatment who lives more than 40 miles (or one hour) away and has a caregiver? Ask your MD Anderson social worker for a Hope Lodge referral.
Is it a blood cancer? Apply to Halo House.
Do you live 50+ miles away with a 24/7 caregiver? Get on the Hospitality Apartments waitlist now, and call back every four weeks.
Do you live 60+ miles away and want a house for the whole family? Apply to Houston Haven.
Also call A Shelter for Cancer Families.
Arriving before a waitlist opens, not eligible, need more space, or not sure how long you'll stay? Book a hotel with an MD Anderson rate for short visits, or a furnished apartment for a kitchen, laundry and a flexible length of stay.
Many families combine options. For example, they stay in a hotel or furnished apartment for the first weeks, then move when a nonprofit room opens. Hospitality Apartments notes that it will still call you when a space opens, even if you've taken other housing in the meantime.
Tips from 12 years of hosting medical guests
Apply early and to more than one program. The nonprofits say waits of one to three months are common.
Keep your social worker's name and number handy. Several programs ask for it, and MD Anderson patient numbers are often required.
Plan for changing dates. Treatment plans change. Ask any lodging provider how they handle extensions and early departures.
Ask about insurance or employer coverage. Some insurers, adjusters and employers cover lodging. We can bill them directly.
Think about the caregiver. A second bedroom, a kitchen for special diets and in-unit laundry can matter a lot on hard treatment days.
Frequently asked questions
Is there free lodging for MD Anderson patients?
Yes. Hope Lodge and A Shelter for Cancer Families are free. Hospitality Apartments is rent-free (a $140 cleaning fee applies). Ronald McDonald House asks for a suggested donation but never turns families away. Each program has its own eligibility rules, and most require a referral or waitlist.
How long is the wait for free housing near MD Anderson?
Hospitality Apartments says its waitlist usually runs two to three months. Halo House says one to three months. Hope Lodge depends on referrals and availability. Have a backup plan for your first weeks.
Does MD Anderson have discounted hotels?
Yes. MD Anderson's hotel lodging list includes hotels with medical rates for patients, families and caregivers, often booked through Joe's House with a corporate ID. Rotary House, connected to MD Anderson, lists rooms from $165 a night.
Do I need a caregiver to stay in patient housing?
Most nonprofit programs require one: Hope Lodge, Hospitality Apartments, Halo House and Houston Haven (with some exceptions). Furnished apartments and hotels don't require a caregiver.
Can medical staff, travel nurses or visiting physicians stay at FAMC?
Yes. We host patients, caregivers and medical staff. Call 713-909-7725 with your contract dates.
How much does a furnished apartment near MD Anderson cost?
It depends on your dates and the building. Call 713-909-7725 or contact us for a quote.
Can you bill my insurance company?
We bill insurers and adjusters directly. Share your claim details when you call.
Ready to compare? See our furnished apartments near MD Anderson, call 713-909-7725, or request a quote. Support is available 24/7.
Disclaimer: Program details are summarized from official sources as of October 21, 2026, and may change. Furnished Apartment Medical Center is not affiliated with the nonprofit programs or hotels listed.
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