Submitted by TOGETHER!
According to the Thurston Regional Planning Council’s 2024 report, there are around 1,636 students in Thurston County that are currently experiencing homelessness. This number is a significant increase from around 1,036 in 2021 and is the highest level of unhoused youth they have reported since the census began. These students are navigating the typical stressors and responsibilities of being a high school student, such as assignments, homework, and the upcoming reality of transitioning into college or the workforce, while also living in survival mode and navigating the realities of not knowing where they will sleep or where their next meal will come from. Youth deserve safety, security, and guidance from trusted adults in their lives, and for youth to be able to thrive and move forward, they need to be able to come out of survival mode.
TOGETHER! is an organization that serves three school districts within Thurston County, including the North Thurston School District, Olympia School District, and Tumwater School District, providing services to students throughout the county. Host Homes is a program underneath TOGETHER! that specifically provides holistic support to unaccompanied and unhoused high school students within Thurston County by providing safe, identity-affirming, short-term housing. Host Homes connects students experiencing housing insecurity with a temporary “host” home, which is a community member who has agreed to open their home to said student. Hosts provide a private room and meals and are provided with the resources, both financially and socially, to support the student to success. The student is provided with an experienced case manager through Host Homes, who assists them in their educational goals and life skills with the goal of discharging them into secure and stable independent housing.
While the need for these types of resources for high school students with Thurston County school students is massive and non-ignorable, the impact that the Host Homes program has made within our community is substantial and quickly wide spreading. According to TOGETHER!’s 2026 annual report, Host Homes currently has a 100% graduation rate within their students enrolled in the program, with a total of 42 students graduating this year. In 2025, Host Homes had 35 students graduating, and 37 students the year prior in 2024. Amongst these graduates in 2025, 5 students moved on to two to four year colleges, two went on to join the military, and one student joined the workforce. Multiple Host Home’s students were scholarship recipients during their senior year, receiving support through the Sue Shannon Memorial Scholarship, Altrusa Scholarship, and the Olympia Rotary Scholarship.
Over the last two years, Host Home’s Program Director, Morelia Ayala, has launched campaigns at the end of the school year to provide their graduates, whether they are headed to college or the workforce next, with the resources and supplies needed for success as they transition to adulthood and independence. “Sponsor a Graduate” in 2025 and this year’s “Gift for Grads” campaign garnered community support to create care baskets for each of the 2026 graduates, providing them with crucial necessities for college and independent living. These baskets were made possible through community donations through an amazon wish list, where community members could purchase supplies. These gift baskets contained school supplies and basic necessities for a home/dorm, crucial necessities for a young adult pursuing independence and stability. These care baskets made it to all 42 graduating students.
Host Homes is also currently rapidly expanding their offered services to reach further into different communities within Thurston County, particularly our local Spanish-speaking community. Host Homes has seen an increase of around 200% in Spanish-speaking students coming into the program for services in the last year. They have recently further expanded their bilingual staffing to fit the needs of all families and students receiving support and case management, as well as creating partnerships with other community organizations that serve Spanish-speaking students. One example of this is Host Home’s current partnership for the summer of 2026 with LaCima summer camp, which is a bilingual leadership camp focused on providing a supportive environment for Latine students. Host Homes also partnered with LaCima for the summer of 2025. Through funding set up by Morelia, 3 Host Home’s students will be attending LaCima this summer and another 2 staff members will be attending to participate as counselors. Find out more about LaCima camps at La Cima — Association of Washington Student Leaders.
The community support provided to our students through the contributions made to the graduate amazon campaign was hugely significant and the impact was wide for our graduates. Another way that community members can help unaccompanied youth in our community through Host Homes is to become a host. If you have the time and capacity to open your home to a teenager currently enrolled in Thurston County, Host Homes is always looking for more hosts. Hosts receive a monthly reimbursement to offset any costs of hosting, as well as case management and resource navigation. Requirements to become a host include:
- Be at least 21 years old at the time of application.
- Be a Thurston County resident for over a year.
- Be able and willing to provide a private room and meals within their home.
- Be able to complete all required orientation trainings and be willing to complete any additional training needed.
- Have and maintain renter’s or homeowner’s insurance for the duration of volunteer service with the program.
- Undergo and pass a background check and reference check.
- Undergo and pass a home inspection.
Anyone interested can submit an application on our website, Host Homes – Together!.
These programs are a lifeline for countless youth locally, and across the country. Please consider contributing to ensure students and families are supported today. When you support TOGETHER!, your investment creates amazing outcomes that have a ripple effect far beyond one student. If you have the means, join us with a secure one-time or monthly gift today at the TOGETHER! website to help ensure all students and families feel the support and belonging they deserve.
