May 11, 2021
Province to Provide $5 Million in Matching Funds to Ronald McDonald House Charities Manitoba for Facility Expansion
– – –Funding Will Nearly Triple Capacity for Northern, Rural Manitoba Families: Stefanson
The Manitoba government is committing $5 million to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Manitoba to support construction of a new facility that will almost triple the accommodation capacity for rural and northern Manitoba families, Health and Seniors Care Minister Heather Stefanson announced today.
“Ronald McDonald House provides an essential service to Manitoba families faced with many parents’ biggest fear: a sick child,” said Stefanson. “Our government is providing support to RMHC Manitoba in order to triple their capacity to help more Manitoba families who live outside Winnipeg focus on caring for their child, rather than worrying about accommodations and meals.”
Winnipeg's Ronald McDonald House is currently located at 566 Bannatyne Ave., two blocks from HSC Children’s Hospital. With the new funding commitment, the facility will move to a new house at 62 Juno St., still two blocks away from HSC Children’s Hospital.
“RMHC Manitoba extends immense gratitude and appreciation to the Province of Manitoba and the Department of Health and Seniors Care for this transformational support. The province’s incredibly generous partnership will ensure RMHC Manitoba is positioned to support more families with sick or injured children where and when they need it most,” said Wendy Galagan, CEO, RMHC Manitoba. “The new house will be a safe haven of care, compassion and service for Manitoba families, and the next legacy of RMHC Manitoba’s essential contribution to family-centered care. We are forever grateful to the province for recognizing, valuing and supporting the RMHC Manitoba mission.”
Ronald McDonald House provides accommodations for families who live outside of Winnipeg while their children are receiving treatment in hospital. Services provided include all the comforts of home-like bedrooms and living rooms, fully equipped kitchen, laundry and transportation services.
The Manitoba government will provide the funding to match private donations on a three-to-one basis for a total contribution of $5 million provincially towards capital costs including facility and building expenses, which are expected to total $20 million for the entire project, the minister noted.
At 50,000-sq.-ft., the new house will have 40 bedrooms, where the existing 11,000-sq.-ft. house only had 14 bedrooms. New amenities will also be available including a private outdoor recreation space, fenced-in parking, four storeys of accommodations, more separate living spaces for families including individual kitchens, washrooms and laundry facilities, as well as improvements to the windows and heating and ventilation systems. The new location will also provide specialty suites for bone marrow and solid organ transplant patients in order for families to self-isolate to keep their children safe.
For more information on RMHC Manitoba, visit www.rmhcmanitoba.org.
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