During blood cancer treatment, many people will be able to stay at one of our properties, located near major treating hospitals throughout Australia.
Our accommodation is usually in a two or three bedroom apartment, allowing patients and their families to stay together during treatment. Many of our apartments are located in village-style complexes with common areas – such as gardens, games rooms or lounges – where you can meet and interact with other families.
Because we understand how important it is to feel at home, our apartments are fully furnished (including bedding and linen) and fully self-contained, so you can cook the meals you enjoy. And just like home, you are responsible for keeping your apartment clean during your stay.
We provide a welcome pack on arrival that includes some basic supplies for when you first move in, an accommodation guide and information about the nearest shops, transport and other necessities. You will also receive the name and contact details of the accommodation coordinator assigned to your location, who is there to help you with any questions or issues. In many properties, our staff will be located onsite or nearby, so they are readily available to assist you.
Requests for accommodation are submitted through our online accommodation assessment form. You can complete this form, or a family member or carer, a healthcare professional or a Leukaemia Foundation staff member can on your behalf. You can also contact our Access and Navigation team who can assist with the completion of the form over the phone – call us on 1800 555 021.
Accommodation – Frequently Asked Questions
What we are doing to keep our residents safe?
Blood cancer leaves people very vulnerable to infection and viruses, including COVID-19, and the Leukaemia Foundation has long prioritised heightened infection control, even before this pandemic.
As we all learn to live with COVID-19, the Leukaemia Foundation continues to review our safety measures to reduce the risk of transmission whilst also aligning with state government mandates and recommendations.
Masks are required within all of our accommodation centres, and we have a mandatory COVID-19 declaration form that must be complete by all patients and family members who check in to our accommodation centres, this risk mitigating screening method means that as much as possible we can prevent COVID-19 being bought into our accommodation centres.
We are also asking all our accommodation staff and contractors to be fully vaccinated, too.
We’d like to thank everyone living and working in our accommodation for their understanding and compliance with these measures in order to keep everyone safe.
The Leukaemia Foundation will continue to do everything it possibly can to protect those we support.
Visit leukaemia.org.au/covid19 to learn more about the Leukaemia Foundation’s latest information and advice about COVID-19.
What accommodation support is available for patients and their families?
We can provide accommodation support for eligible people living with blood cancer and their families who must travel to access their blood cancer treatment.
If you’re an inpatient, we can also offer accommodation for your carer/family to be close to you while you are in hospital. This accommodation may be in one of our own accommodation facilities, or if we are at capacity, we may refer you to one of our preferred accommodation providers.
How do I know if I’m eligible for accommodation support?
To be eligible for our accommodation support, you (the patient) must be:
diagnosed with a blood cancer or related blood disorder
requesting accommodation in relation to your blood cancer treatment
be required to travel away from home to access your treatment
over the age 18 if you do not have an adult carer
accompanied by a carer (to be eligible to stay in Leukaemia Foundation internal accommodation). All carers must be over the age of 18.
How are people referred for accommodation support?
Requests for accommodation are submitted through our online accommodation assessment form here. You can complete this form, or a family member or carer, a healthcare professional or a Leukaemia Foundation staff member can on your behalf. You can also contact our team who can assist with the completion of the form over the phone – call us on 1800 555 021.
How is the support prioritised to support those most in need?
Once received, each request is assessed on a case by case basis based on individual circumstances. The outcome of each request is also dependent on our capacity to support at any given time.
Priority for accommodation is assessed based on requirement need, alternative support available, distance from treatment centre and any individual circumstances.
What about external accommodation?
We may be able to assist with sourcing an external accommodation option, if our own facilities are at capacity.
We have an approved list of external accommodation providers that we can utilise for this purpose and any bookings.
We can also assist you to access the financial assistance scheme in your state that may be able to provide subsidies towards the cost of transport and accommodation when you have to travel to receive medical treatment. Find out more about the scheme in your state here.
Are there accommodation options close to all major treatment centres?
All of our internal accommodation sites are located close to major treating hospitals.
Use this interactive map to find the nearest accommodation services to you.
Take a look inside the ESA Village in Brisbane
Have you ever wondered just what it is like inside one of the Leukaemia Foundation’s accommodation villages? Explore the common area and a two bedroom apartment at the ESA Village in Brisbane in these 3D tours.
The Leukaemia Foundation would like to thank the Dry July Foundation for supporting Patient Accommodation services across Australia. The support from Dry July has helped people living with blood cancer with vital transport and accommodation services when they need it most.