After 25 years of serving people in Northeastern Ontario, the House of Kin has been described as one of Sudbury's best kept secrets.
The House of Kin is a local hotel that provides deeply discounted accommodation rates for people visiting loved ones in the hospital or for people who have their own medical appointments.
Claire Sheridan, the president of the House of Kin, told the gala anniversary celebration Thursday that the facility has helped out more than 350,000 people over the past 25 years.
The House of Kin opened in the late 1990s with the help of the Sudbury Kinsmen Club along with other sponsors and charities across Northeastern Ontario.
Much credit for the creation of the facility goes to retired Sudburian Chris Sheridan, Claire's husband, an active community volunteer for years. He retired in 2016.
Claire said the original idea was born years ago when her husband was at a local hospital board meeting.
"Chris came out of a meeting at the Memorial Hospital one night. He had seen people sleeping in their cars. And he had also seen people sleeping in the lobby."
After looking into the situation, Chris discovered that these were people who had traveled from out of town for either personal medical appointments or because someone in their family was sick.
Not everyone could afford to book a hotel room for the night, Claire said. An agreement was reached with Sudbury hotel and motel owners to offer discounted rates to people visiting Sudbury for medical reasons, she said.
She said roughly 150 visitors were helped out in the first year. In the second year, there were 250 visitors who needed help.
From that point on, said Claire, it was obvious that visitors from small towns and cities across Northern Ontario needed a place to stay when they visited Sudbury for medical reasons. She said that's when it was decided to convert the former Grand Prix Inn into a subsidized hotel.
The facility has 31 rooms, a kitchen and dining area, a lounge, a laundry room and a quiet room for prayer or meditation.
Claire said the generosity of Northerners keeps the House of Kin in business at 1889 Regent St. S. in Sudbury’s south end.
"We have absolutely no government assistance whatsoever. So we depend on fundraisers, corporate donations, sponsorship of a room, that is how we're able to survive. And people have been very generous. Thank goodness for that," she said.
She told the anniversary event that the House of Kin is as busy now as it ever was. She mentioned that a family from Winnipeg recently stayed at the hotel for nearly two weeks.
With the arrival of fall, she said most of the medical staff are back in town from holidays. Claire said this means there are more medical appointments and visits for things like MRI exams and CAT scans.
She said the House of Kin has been a full house since the beginning of September, which shows that the facility is indeed an essential service for medical visitors.
Claire said anyone needing more information or willing to make a contribution can check out the House of Kin website online here.
Len Gillis covers health-care news and also mining stories for Sudbury.com .
