The Unverferth House, the small, volunteer-run nonprofit that provides free short-term lodging for transplant and cardiac patients and their families, is preparing to tear down its King Avenue house and put up a larger facility that organizers say would more than double the number of guests it can host. The overhaul is a response to a growing waitlist and rising demand from families who travel to Columbus for transplant and heart care. Organizers are launching a capital effort and will still need design approvals and permits before any construction work can begin.
The plan to demolish and replace the building was first reported Feb. 27 by Columbus Business First, which described sketches showing a higher-capacity, modern residence at the Unverferth House's 190 King Ave. site. That coverage says the expansion would substantially increase rooms available for Ohio State transplant patients and their families, and notes that organizers are still working through funding and permitting details.
A Home Away From the Hospital
For more than 30 years the Unverferth House has offered furnished apartments and other support free of charge to families who must travel to Columbus for heart and transplant care. Unverferth House says in a recent post that it is exploring a $5.5 million fundraising campaign to expand the building as its waitlist continues to grow, and that the house sheltered more than 200 patients and their families last year. The nonprofit relies entirely on private donations and volunteers to keep rooms free for guests.
Tied to OSU Transplant Care
The Unverferth House serves as a temporary home for patients of the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital and the Ohio State transplant programs, with stays arranged via hospital social workers, according to the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. OSU's site notes that priority is given to heart transplant patients, and that the house is intended for families who live outside Franklin County and need nearby housing during treatment and recovery. That proximity, less than a mile from the Ross Heart Hospital, has long been a major selling point for what regulars call the U House.
What Would Change
As reported by Columbus Business First, the sketches call for demolishing the current structure and replacing it with a new building that would allow the nonprofit to serve far more transplant and cardiac patients than it can today. Organizers say the rebuild is aimed at cutting down the waitlist and providing more private, updated rooms for families who may be in town for long hospital stays. The group still needs to finalize designs, secure funding and win any necessary permits before a demolition date can be set.
How to Help and What Is Next
The Unverferth House is already accepting gifts and asking the community to support a capital campaign, with donation and sponsorship options listed on the group's website. Unverferth House also runs an annual fundraising event and maintains volunteer and supplies programs to help families while the campaign develops. Officials said they will release more specifics about the project and a proposed timetable as designs and fundraising efforts move forward.
