Meet Sarah's Guest House

Meet Sarah's Guest House - Central New York's only adult healthcare hospitality house. Lodging for patients and families traveling to Syracuse for medical care.

Our Mission & Purpose

Sarah's Guest House provides lodging, transportation, meals and comfort to patients and families of patients receiving medical care in Central New York.

Many of us have had a loved one who has been hospitalized away from home for an extended period of time. We can relate to the stress that this kind of experience introduces to our lives - sleepless nights, financial worries, and anxiety over the eventual diagnosis, as well as being in an unfamiliar city away from friends and family.

As a guest of Sarah's Guest House, you'll share our hospitality with other families in similar circumstances - people who can relate to you and your present needs and experiences. Sarah's Guest House serves its guests by providing a home that cares.

Our History

Sarah House, as it was known, was founded by Mary Keough. Mary, possessing a spirit of hospitality, was inspired by her nephew, Billy Johnson, to open Sarah's Guest House in 1994. Billy had been diagnosed with leukemia and was traveling to New Hampshire and Minnesota for bone marrow transplants when he discovered the concept of healthcare hospitality homes - a growing need to provide a home away from home for individuals and their families who were traveling for medical care.

Billy shared the idea with Mary and soon an opportunity arose - a vacant house became available on the same street Mary lived and thus our organization was born. The house had 4 bedrooms and was located across from Most Holy Rosary Parish in the Strathmore neighborhood of Syracuse. Sarah's Guest House remained in that home from 1994 to 2010 until moving to its current location - the church's former convent located next door.

The Spirit of Billy Lives On

Billy Johnson served on the founding board of Sarah's Guest House and played a critical role in seeing his dream become a reality. Sadly, Billy lost his battle with leukemia a year after Sarah's Guest House opened. His spirit of generosity, love and kindness remains here at Sarah’s Guest House and his friends and family continue to support our mission. Our lobby is named in his honor.

About Our Name

Although housed in a convent, Sarah’s Guest House has no religious affiliations. However, Sarah House was named after Sarah, Abraham’s wife. In the Bible, we learn that Sarah was known for her hospitality. The biblical story tells us that she and her husband Abraham built inns for wayfarers to find food, water and a place to rest their heads. They charged no money and all were welcome. In 2014, we changed the name to Sarah’s Guest House, lodging for patients and families, to limit confusion with a similar sounding non-profit and to better clarify our mission of healthcare hospitality.

How You Can Help

Sarah’s Guest House is not funded by state or federal monies. We rely on the generosity of our community and the hard work of our staff, board members and volunteers to exist. We ask for only $25 per night from our guests and no one is turned away for inability to pay. We have a wish list of items that we need and we are always looking for individuals and groups alike to make meals, plan an event, do lawn work, housekeeping.


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