Kentucky program
Free lodging near the Louisville hospital
Ronald McDonald House Louisville offers eligible families a free place to stay during their child’s treatment.
What it is
Ronald McDonald House Louisville offers eligible families a free place to stay during their child’s treatment.
A nearby room can reduce travel for Louisville treatment. Recurring outpatient visits can qualify when an overnight stay is needed. The house checks the child’s age, referral, admission rules and room availability.
Eligibility rules
- The child must be 21 or younger and receiving qualifying Louisville treatment. Recurring outpatient visits can qualify when an overnight stay is needed.
- Families must live outside Jefferson County, Kentucky, and Floyd and Clark counties, Indiana.
- A healthcare professional or hospital team can refer. A caregiver under 18 needs an accompanying guardian age 21 or older; documents, house rules and availability still apply.
What you get
- A free room near the Louisville children’s hospital when a place is available.
Amounts and limits
- Families are not charged for lodging; donations are voluntary. The house may bill an available insurance lodging benefit.
If you decide to apply
- Ask the hospital social worker about a referral to Ronald McDonald House Louisville.
- Have your address and planned treatment dates ready, including outpatient visits that require an overnight stay.
Ronald McDonald House Louisville: 502-581-1416 · Official page ↗
If you decide to apply
- The decision comes from Ronald McDonald House Louisville.
Good to know
Living outside the excluded counties does not guarantee admission. Rooms and other admission conditions still matter.
Other details
- The house serves eligible families of children age 21 or younger receiving Louisville treatment, including recurring outpatient visits that require an overnight stay. A healthcare provider or hospital team can refer. It excludes Jefferson County, Kentucky, and Floyd and Clark counties, Indiana; adult identification, applicable records and house rules are checked. A referral does not reserve a room, and the house must confirm availability.
Official sources
“We live a long way from Louisville. Could we get a room at the Ronald McDonald House during treatment, and could you refer us?”
Why I’m asking: I want to understand lodging options if our child receives treatment away from home.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Ask for the referral early; rooms are limited.
Your social worker
The ward social worker refers.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- The house.
- Ask your social worker
- “We live a long way out and my child is admitted in Louisville. Can you refer us to the Ronald McDonald House?”
How to apply
First step: Ask the ward social worker to refer you as soon as an admission is planned.
- Ask the ward social worker for a referral as soon as an admission is planned.
- Check the residence rule before you count on it.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Ask the ward social worker to refer you.
What to gather
- Proof of address
- The admission dates
How long: Rooms are limited; ask early.
What a yes looks like
A room booked for the admission dates.
What a no looks like, and the next move
Ask the ward about other lodging charities, and about the Medicaid lodging reimbursement if your child is on Medicaid.
Watch out
- Families living in Jefferson County, or in Floyd or Clark county in Indiana, are excluded by the residence rule.
- Referrals usually come through the ward. Ask rather than turning up.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
A free room near the Louisville children's hospital, for families living outside the immediate area.
- $0 — Charge for a stay
Covers: Free family lodging near the hospital
What it costs the family: Free.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Residency
- families living outside Jefferson County in Kentucky and outside Floyd and Clark counties in Indiana
- Other
- further admission conditions apply and referrals usually come through the hospital
The trap: There are other admission conditions besides the residence rule, and referrals are usually made through the hospital. Ask the ward social worker rather than turning up.
Where I read this
- Ronald McDonald House Louisville — Stay with Us — Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana, read September 10, 2026