Gladwyne-based Hosts for Hospitals program recruits local volunteers and matches them up with hospital patients and their families in need of a place to stay, writes Melissa Jacobs for the Main Line Today.

The program was founded nearly two decades ago by a leukemia survivor, Mike Aichenbaum, whose family had to pay $20,000 in rent at a Manhattan apartment while he was receiving treatment away from home.

He modeled Hosts for Hospitals on the Boston-based Hospitality Homes program.

“Staying in a house instead of a hotel provides a sense of normalcy during a time of stress,” said Aichenbaum. “The Main Line area was perfect for this because we have so much medical care here and because we have generous people with large homes willing to participate.”

Since being founded nearly two decades ago, the program has provided 144,000 nights of lodging for 3,486 patients’ families from 90 countries worldwide and all 50 states.

The stay provided by volunteer families includes access to bedrooms, bathrooms, and the kitchen. It can range from just a few nights to several months and costs just $20 a night.

Read more about Hosts for Hospitals at the Main Line Today by clicking here.