Check-in

During check-in, you should receive a copy of these rules, along with other information about your stay. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the front desk.

• New guests must check-in between 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm
• Returning guests must check-in between 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm
• New check-in procedure takes between 20-30 minutes and is mandatory
• Guests must confirm all personal information
• Guests must provide a first nights payment ($40.00 per night)
• All adults (18 and over) will be required to provide a photo ID
• Guests must review and sign in agreement with the House Rules
• All guests planning to stay must be present for initial review of House Rules
• A tour of the facilities will be provided
• Guests will be introduced to staff members

Check-out

Please notify the front desk as soon as you know when you will be departing so that your room can be prepared for another family. We can store your luggage in a locked room near the front desk if you will not be leaving the area until later in the evening (but keep in mind, you will not be able to retrieve your luggage after 9 pm). When you are ready to leave, please make sure you do the following:

• Check-out time is between 7:00 am and 11:00 am
• Guests must notify front desk of departure date or expected departure date
• Guests who need special check-out accommodations must speak with Manager on Duty
• Pack all of your belongings and perform a final sweep of the room to ensure you haven’t left anything behind
• Check to ensure you haven’t accidentally packed Howie’s House linens or supplies with your belongings
• Place your dirty towels in the green laundry bag that is provided for you
• Clean the refrigerator, if one was provided to you
• Clear any voicemail messages on your room phone
• Empty your storage locker on the first floor
• Visit the front desk to complete check-out and return any borrowed items

Guests may not possess, use, or consume alcohol or illegal drugs at Howie’s House or on any Howie’s House property (including parking lots). Abuse of prescription drugs is prohibited. Anyone found in possession of drugs or alcohol or who appears intoxicated will be asked to leave Howie’s House immediately.

Children are the sole responsibility of their parent or guardian. Volunteers, staff and other families are not permitted to supervise or babysit children of guests. Any damage or vandalism to the facility caused by a child will be the responsibility of their parent or guardian.

• Children under 16 – Must be accompanied at all times by a parent or guardian while on Howie’s House property.
• Children ages 16-17 – May use common areas of Howie’s House, with the exception of the kitchen, without the presence of a parent or guardian; however a parent or guardian must remain on the premises.
• Children ages 18-20 – Permitted on the premises without supervision during the hours of 8 am to 9 pm. From 9 pm to 8 am, a parent or guardian must be present at Howie’s House.

Please help us to ensure that you receive your phone calls, mail, and messages by letting us know if you plan to stay at the hospital for extended periods of time during your stay. There will be instructions on or near your guest room phone for setting up voicemail. Please do so as soon as you check in. A bulletin board located in the kitchen area will notify you of activities and news related to Howie’s House. Mail and messages can be collected at the front desk.

There are computers in several areas of the first floor available for your use. Please limit your time to 20 minutes while others are waiting. Loaner laptops are also available and may be requested at the front desk. You may need to leave a photo ID with the front desk while borrowing the laptop.

Howie’s House provides free wireless internet to guests. The password for the network will be located on your welcome packet. Upon logging on to the internet from your own computer, or any Howie’s House computer, you will be prompted to read and accept our technology use policy, and must do so before you can access the internet.

Violation of any Howie’s House rules or policies will result in appropriate action by management, up to and including removal from Howie’s House and loss of consideration for future opportunities to stay at the House. In addition, the following types of behavior are considered inappropriate and may result in removal from the premises:

• Violence of any kind
• Profanity
• Physical punishment, including spanking of children
• Excessive displays of affection in common areas
• Loud or disruptive conduct
• Any criminal activity

If you see a violation of Gift of Life Howie’s House rules or policies, or any of the above types of behavior, please report it immediately to the Manager on Duty.

Parking

Each family will be provided one secure parking space.

• Gift of Life is not responsible for damaged or stolen items
• Your car must be registered with staff upon arrival
• Visitors and volunteers are able to use the parking areas if there is space available

Directions

From North (Langhorne, Trenton, Northeast Philadelphia)

• Take I-95 S toward Center City Philadelphia
• Take the Callowhill St. exit (Exit 22) toward I-676 E/ US 30 E/Independence Hall
• Turn right onto Callowhill St.
• Gift of Life Howie’s House located at 401 Callowhill St. will be on your right

From South (Delaware)

• Take I-496 N ramp toward Port of Wilmington/ Philadelphia
• Merge onto I-495 N and then stay straight and go onto I-95 N
• Take I- 676/US-30 exit (Exit 22) on the left toward Center City Philadelphia/Independence Hall/Callowhill St.
• Take the exit towards I-676 E/US-30 E/Ben Franklin Bridge/ Independence Hall/Callowhill St.
• Stay straight onto Callowhill St.
• Gift of Life Howie’s House located at 401 Callowhill St. will be on your right

From East (Southern New Jersey)

• Take I-676N/US-30 W via the ramp on the left towards the Ben Franklin Bridge
• Take the 5th St. Exit which will be immediately on your right as you come off the bridge
• Keep left at the fork in the ramp. Turn slight right onto N. 5th St.
• Turn right onto Willow St. (Willow St. is a ½ block past Callowhill St.)
• Take the 1st right onto N. 4th St. and take the 1st right onto Callowhill St.
• Gift of Life Howie’s House located at 401 Callowhill St. will be on your right

From West (King of Prussia)

• Take Route 76/Schuylkill Expressway and follow signs for 676 East/Center City
• Take the I-676 E/ Benjamin Franklin Bridge Exit
• Keep left to take Vine St. Expressway/I-676E/US-30 East via Exit 344 toward Central Philadelphia
• Take the 8th St. Exit and turn right onto N. 8th St. (If you reach Vine St. you’ve gone a little too far.)
• Take the 1st left onto Vine St. (If you reach Race St. you’ve gone about .1 miles too far.)
• Turn left onto N. 7th St./N. Franklin St.
• Continue to follow N. 7th St. and turn right onto Willow St. (Willow St. is a ½ block past Callowhill St.)
• Turn right onto N. 4th St. and take the 1st right onto Callowhill St. You will see Gift of Life Howie’s House on your right.

Guests are expected to dress appropriately for a family environment. You must remain clothed at all times when outside of your guest room, including in the fitness center. Examples of inappropriate attire include: clothing that displays offensive symbols or language, pajamas, robes, exposed midriffs, sports bras (without shirt), bare feet, and bathing suits. Gift of Life Howie’s House reserves the right to ask you to change your clothes at any time.

The fitness center is open from 7 am until 10 pm. A list of rules is posted inside the fitness center that must be followed at all times. Children under 16 are not permitted in the fitness center and children ages 16 and 17 must be accompanied by an adult while using the fitness center. Cell phone use is not permitted inside the fitness center.

Consumption of food and beverages is not permitted outside of the kitchen and dining rooms.Preparation and consumption of food and beverages is permitted in the kitchen and dining areas only, with the exception that water is permitted in the fitness center. Guests may store dry, unopened foods in their assigned lockers on the first floor. Guests are welcome to food that is in the kitchen and dining room, but only to be consumed during guest stays, not to be taken home.

Guests age 16 and over are permitted to use the kitchen and are expected to clean the kitchen area immediately after use. This includes cleaning counters, tables, stovetops, ovens, sinks, floors, dishes, utensils, and appliances. Before unloading dishwashers, hand washing procedures should be observed. The dining room and kitchen are closed nightly from 9 pm-10 pm for housekeeping.

At check-out, guests should take their food home with them, dispose of it, or, if unopened, donate it to Gift of Life Howie’s House for general use.

Medicine and breast milk cannot be stored in the kitchen. Guests who need to refrigerate either should contact the front desk to make alternative arrangements such as use of a loaner fridge in their guest bedroom.

Gift of Life Howie’s House can provide video games, board and card games, DVDs, and books for guests to borrow during their stay. All non-video games, DVDs, and books must be requested and signed out at the front desk between 7 am and 9 pm. Video games may only be signed out to someone over age 18, and they must leave their photo identification with front desk staff.

You are responsible for keeping your guest room clean. Maximum room occupancy is determined at the discretion of management and is generally limited to two people per queen bed (with two beds per room.) Nothing should be taken out of the room, including blankets and towels. Please ensure that you haven’t accidentally packed Gift of Life Howie’s House supplies with your belongings when you leave.

While every effort will be made to ensure the comfort and privacy of guests, management reserves the right to enter guest rooms at any time and without prior notice. If your room has been entered in your absence, a note indicating this will be left outside your door. If you have a maintenance issue such as a clogged drain or burned-out light bulb, please notify the front desk so that it can be addressed.

Eligibility to stay at Gift of Life Howie’s House is dictated by the medical needs of the patient requiring evaluation and/or treatment at Philadelphia-area medical facilities, as well as the occupancy levels of Howie’s House. As long as a medical need exists which is substantiated by the transplant center providing evaluation or treatment, guests may be permitted to stay at Howie’s House. Approval of prolonged stays is also based on frequency of appointment schedules. Guests with transplant related appointments on 2 or more days in any week may be eligible to stay until the day after their last appointment.

Gift of Life Howie’s House management reserves the right conduct eligibility reviews of all guests at any time, and to assess levels of need and make recommendations for alternative housing. Families not meeting eligibility requirements will be asked to leave Gift of Life Howie’s House within 24 hours.

The maximum stay for any guest meeting eligibility requirements is nine months. After nine months of consecutive stay at Gift of Life Howie’s House, guests will be assisted in finding alternative living arrangements.

If you have to leave Gift of Life Howie’s House for more than 24 hours, you are required to check out, regardless of whether you are certain that you will need to return. Please make alternative arrangements, as room availability will not be guaranteed upon your return.

If you check out of Gift of Life Howie’s House but fail to notify staff, you will be required to pay the $40 nightly fee for the period that the room is unoccupied.

No Admission to Gift of Life Howie’s House

I understand that if at any time during my stay a member of my party is diagnosed with, or is suspected of having, any of the following illnesses: Chicken Pox and Shingles (aka Varicella), Measles and Rubella (German Measles), Whooping Cough (Pertussis), Mumps, C. difficile, aka C diff, diff colitis, pseudomembranous colitis, Norovirus, Head Lice, Bed Bugs, Other Serious Infectious Illness (1) I will immediately notify Gift of Life Howie’s House Manager on Duty; (2) the affected individual will check-out of Gift of Life Howie’s House and seek appropriate treatment; and (3) the remaining members of my party, if any, will practice social distancing until those individuals have been cleared by a physician.

Isolation at Gift of Life Howie’s House

I understand that if at any time during my stay a member of my party is diagnosed with, or is suspected of having, any of the following illnesses: Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye), Hepatitis A, Strep Throat, Fever, Diarrhea, Vomiting, Other Infectious Illness (1) I will immediately notify Gift of Life Howie’s House Manager on Duty; and (2) the affected individual and all other members of my party will practice social distancing until a physician certifies, in writing, that the individual is no longer contagious.

Needle Usage  

I understand that it is my responsibility to dispose of needles in an appropriate container and ensure that they are removed from the premises. I understand that needles and related medical treatment materials MAY NOT be disposed of in any trash receptacle at Gift of Life Howie’s House. I understand that I am responsible if I, or a member of my party, improperly dispose of needles or related medical treatment materials at Gift of Life Howie’s House.

Gift of Life Howie’s House will provide you with up to two key cards to be used only be guests ages 18 and up. In the event you key card is lost, you must immediately notify the front desk so that the missing card can be deactivated and a replacement can be issued. Key cards are not to be given to anyone other than the person to whom it was issued.

Guests are responsible for doing their own laundry during their stay. The laundry facilities are located on the lower level opposite the rear elevator and are open 24 hours a day. Detergent is provided. Loads cost 75 cents each.

Gift of Life Howie’s House employees and volunteers are not permitted to provide, dispense, or administer medication. Medication must be stored in guest rooms. If your medication requires refrigeration, please make arrangements with management prior to arrival so that a portable refrigerator, if available, may be placed in your room. You will be responsible for cleaning the refrigerator prior to check-out.

Needles should be kept in your room at all times in a container designed for sharps storage. Never dispose of needles at Gift of Life Howie’s House. They must be taken with you when you leave.

If you are nursing, please contact Gift of Life Howie’s House in advance of your stay so that a portable refrigerator, if available, may be placed in your room for breast milk storage. Breast milk cannot be stored in community refrigerators. You will be responsible for cleaning the refrigerator prior to check-out. Nursing should be done inside of your guest room.

Guests are permitted to park one vehicle in Gift of Life Howie’s House lot free of charge. You must display the placard provided to you on the dashboard of your vehicle at all times. Any cars not bearing the proper identification will be towed at the owner’s expense.

Although Gift of Life Howie’s House lot is fenced, you should keep your car locked at all times. Gift of Life Howie’s House is not responsible for damage to or theft of cars in the lot.

Pets are not permitted at Gift of Life Howie’s House. Pets also cannot be left in vehicles in Gift of Life Howie’s House parking lot.

Guest may come into contact with sensitive or private information during the course of their stay. Guests must respect the privacy of others at Gift of Life Howie’s House at all times, and should not discuss any such information outside of Gift of Life Howie’s House.

Quiet hours are between 9 pm and 9 am. Quiet hours apply to all areas of Gift of Life Howie’s House including the patio and parking lot. At 10 pm, the Manager on Duty will shut the lights off in the common areas of Gift of Life Howie’s House. Only the dining room will be open for use after 10pm.

Gift of Life Howie’s House asks that you pay a fee of $40 per night, per room. If you are unable to pay this fee, you should speak with the Day Manager or Social Worker so that other arrangements can be made. If you are eligible to have a third party pay your fees, you should do so, and Gift of Life Howie’s House will send billing statements directly to the third party for you.

Gift of Life Howie’s House will collect the first night’s fee at check-in. Subsequent payments should be made weekly, or more often if you prefer. A final payment will be made during check-out. Management will review financial statements of guests at least every 7 days to ensure that accounts are up-to-date. Payment can be made by cash or credit card (checks will only be accepted at the discretion of management).

For the safety of you and your fellow guests, doors are never to be propped open or opened for anyone not in your party. Entrance to Gift of Life Howie’s House is limited to the front door only. Please do not be offended if we ask for your name or to see your wristband prior to buzzing you into the building. In the event of an emergency, please call 911 immediately.

There is no smoking or tobacco use permitted at Gift of Life Howie’s House or on Gift of Life Howie’s House property, other than in our designated smoking area in the northwest corner of our parking lot. If you wish to smoke or use tobacco, you must do so only in the designated area, and must dispose of any waste (e.g. cigarette butts) in the proper receptacle in the smoking area.

Gift of Life Howie’s House will provide limited van service, when available, following a regular schedule of pick-ups and drop-offs at transplant centers in the Philadelphia-area, and Gift of Life Howie’s House itself. Schedules will be available at the front desk and in the directory provided in each guest room.

Visiting hours are from 9 am to 9 pm. Your visitors must check in at the front desk and tell staff who they are visiting. They will be required to complete the infectious disease questionnaire and wear a wristband indicating that they are a visitor. You must greet your visitors at the front desk before they will be allowed into the common area of Gift of Life Howie’s House. If your visitor wishes to stay overnight, they must check in as a guest and comply with room occupancy limits.

You will be given a wristband when you check in at Gift of Life Howie’s House that must be worn for the duration of your stay. If your wristband comes off or becomes loose, bring it to the front desk so that it can be replaced.