Ronald McDonald House Charities of Connecticut and Massachusetts will build a new Ronald McDonald House in New Haven through a grant from the UIL Holdings Corp. Foundation.

The $25,000 grant from New Haven-based UIL will support the construction of the facility directly across from Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, helping to give more families a place to stay while their children are receiving care at the hospital.

Ronald McDonald Houses act as a temporary residence for referred families whose children have been diagnosed with a serious illness and are seeking treatment, allowing them to stay nearby. The facility is a home-away-from-home for families so they can stay close to their hospitalized child. The new facility, on Howard Avenue, will replace a current location at 501 George St.

The new facility will initially contain 18 rooms (compared the current location’s 12), eventually increasing to 42 after the three phases of construction.

The new building will include common rooms, such as a kitchen, dining room and living room, where families can cook and eat together. There also will be two respite rooms for families not staying at the facility so they have a place to rest while caring for their children at the hospital.

More than one-third of the families who stay at the George Street house come from Fairfield County. Two-thirds are from Connecticut, with others coming from out of state for the hospital’s specialty care around cancer, transplants and premature births.

There are 300 Ronald McDonald Houses in the U.S.

“We’re proud to support the expansion of the Ronald McDonald House, which is an important resource for parents and families. Being right next door and having a convenient place to stay and be with your child when they are receiving care is extremely important,” James P. Torgerson, president and CEO of UIL, said in a statement.