What to do when a just-employed worker is suddenly out with a serious illness?

Q: “We purchase commercial and single-family buildings and renovate them. We also manage the properties and in some cases, keep the staff and hire them under our payroll. We submitted a job offer to a man who will be doing patrol security at one of our properties. His start date was to be July 15. His compensation was an offer to live rent-free from month to month. We just got a call that he had an aneurysm and is in the hospital for an undisclosed amount of time. It’s terrible news for anyone to hear and for anyone to go through. However, how should we handle this? Continue to pay rent? Terminate his employment? Hire someone in the interim?” – Nichole, California