FISHER HOUSE IN ST LOUIS DBA FRIENDS OF FISHER HOUSE ST. LOUIS

The Fisher House in St. Louis provides a free “home away from home” for the families of Veterans who are receiving health care through the VA in St. Louis. The Friends of Fisher House St. Louis supports the house in many ways. The guests are the caregivers (family or supporting friends) who have travelled more than 50 miles to be at the bedside of their loved ones. This Fisher House is located on the campus of the Jefferson Barracks Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and is staffed by VA employees. It has 20 private guest bedroom suites, with common areas that include a large kitchen, sitting rooms, laundry room, and patio.
It has served 14,000 guests since it opened in 2010 and has saved those guests almost $12 million in lodging and food -- costs that the guests most likely would not have been able to afford. Before the Fisher House was available in St. Louis, we witnessed families sleeping in their cars or the hospital lobby, and we heard of Veterans who went without essential health care due to the costs of having their family accompany them. The Fisher House has solved those issues.
The non-profit organization Friends of Fisher House St. Louis supports the house in ways that the government cannot, particularly with food, overflow housing, and transportation for the guests. We have an annual budget that averages about $85,000 to support the house.
Planning for a Second Fisher House in St. Louis!
As part of the John Cochran VA major expansion project that is underway, the St. Louis VA Health Care System executives have advised us that they would like to have a second Fisher House constructed on or near their midtown campus. The renovated state-of-the-art hospital with surgical suites will draw even more patients to St. Louis, from an 8-state region for specialty medical care. This in turn will increase the needs that the Fisher House serves. We don't anticipate this need for a second Fisher House in St. Louis until after 2030.
Therefore, our Board is in the early stages of planning a capital campaign to fund the building of a new Fisher House, with 16 suites. The overall budget is estimated to be around $12 million. The board already has $2.5 million in the bank for this. Typically, the Fisher House Foundation, at the national level, will step up with about half of the cost.
Net: we will need to raise at least $3.5 million in the next few years for this project, while continuing to support the current house. Please let us know if you have questions or would like details on these plans.
Thank you.