When a child requires extended medical care, the hardship extends beyond the hospital room. Families who don’t live near a major medical facility face the layered logistical and emotional challenges of being away from home for weeks at a time.

For families whose children are receiving care at Jackson Memorial Hospital or Holtz Children’s Hospital in Miami, both of which serve a largely uninsured and underinsured patient population, those pressures are often compounded by existing financial strain.

The Ronald McDonald House of South Florida exists to ease that strain, providing families with lodging, meals, transportation, laundry and support services at no required cost. With an average stay of 40 days, the House estimates its services save families an average of $5,000 per month. Last year, it served 350 families but still had to turn away 125 more due to capacity constraints.

The solution is a new, larger home.

Self-Help Ventures Fund is providing a $14 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation toward the construction of a new seven-story facility for the Ronald McDonald House, located just steps from Holtz Children’s Hospital. The $35 million project will nearly double the House’s capacity. Construction is underway with completion expected in 2027.

“New Markets Tax Credits are one of the most efficient economic development tools for low-wealth communities ever enacted.”

— Sarah, structured finance sector leader at Self-Help

Self-Help is committed to leveraging tools like New Markets Tax Credits to support community organizations like the Ronald McDonald House of South Florida, whose work touches not just individual families but entire communities.