Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas has announced the development of a new Ronald McDonald House for patients at Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin.

What to know

Construction has begun at Austin’s latest Ronald McDonald House, which sparks the start of the first phase of A Place Like Home, RMHC CTX’s capital campaign, a news release states.
Texas Children's Hospital of North Austin announced its collaboration with Ronald McDonald House with nine rooms set to open in January. (Dacia Garcia/Community Impact)
Texas Children's Hospital of North Austin announced its collaboration with Ronald McDonald House, with nine rooms set to open in January. (Dacia Garcia/Community Impact)
The campaign is dedicated to increasing capacity while ensuring families have access to comfort, care and community throughout their child’s medical journey.

The space is expected to open in 2026 and will feature nine private family suites, a communal kitchen, a laundry room and a multipurpose family support space where families can have private conversations with doctors, learn about support resources and more.
The latest Ronald McDonald House will feature nine family rooms, a communal kitchen, a laundry room and a multi-purpose family space. (Dacia Garcia/Community Impact)
The latest Ronald McDonald House will feature nine family rooms, a communal kitchen, a laundry room and a multipurpose family space. (Dacia Garcia/Community Impact)
The impact

In 2024, more than 250 families were placed on RMHC CTX’s waitlist and were unable to access services as a result of limited bedroom availability.


“On any given day, we were having 25 to 35 families on a waitlist; it's been an ongoing challenge,” RMHC CTX CEO Thomas Kim said. “So we had this vision of ‘OK, we need to expand.’”

The new house in North Austin is the organization’s first step in addressing these limitations with plans to add up to 51 rooms for families in the Austin area.

"Everything [patients] need in terms of being at home, we want them to experience the same thing so that their main focus and only focus is about ensuring their children are getting better through the hospital system,” Kim said.
At the house's groundbreaking, a family impacted by the organization was able to sign a piece of the new house's door. (Courtesy Ronald McDonald House)
At the house's groundbreaking, a family impacted by the organization was able to sign a piece of the new house's door. (Courtesy Ronald McDonald House)
Dr. Jeffrey Shilt, president of Austin and Central Texas at Texas Children’s Hospital, said the hospital system prioritizes making patients as comfortable as possible throughout their stay so families can be close to their loved ones while they receive care.

“One of the most important things we do at Texas Children's is try to bring the care closer to the home—to wherever the patients live. And when we can do that, that's amazing,” Shilt said. “Texas Children's as a system, we have satellite hospitals in different areas of Houston, and the same thing here in Austin. But when you can't do that, it's very, very important to be able to let the family be close to the patients. This helps us accomplish our goal of making where we are more homey for them.”


Community members interested in making a donation or signing up to volunteer at the new Ronald McDonald House at Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin can visit www.rmhc-ctx.org.