Join the Second Home program
For students who are interested in participating in Second Home, please contact the Regional Coordinator in your area (view Staff page).
Student FAQ
Who can join Second Home? Any student who is attending high school (or the equivalent) with the intent to graduate in the counties of Washington, East Multnomah, Lincoln or Clackamas. Students must be between the ages of 16 to 21.
Does the housing cost anything? No. The home providers sign up to provide safe and stable housing. Rental agreements are written to establish participation in normal household chores and to ensure school attendance.
Why do they sign up to be home-providers? For the most part, the people who sign up really want to help kids graduate from high school. They feel like this is a way they can make someone's life better, and they want to help.
What if I don't like them after I move in? Everyone in this program uses a mediation process to make an agreement before moving in, so you will have time to get to know the home provider before you make a decision about whether or not you want to live there. You also get to have a say in the house rules, so if you feel like something isn't going to work for you, you have an opportunity to negotiate a different rule. If there are problems once you are in the home, our staff is available to help you work through the issue or to find another place to live.
If it doesn’t go well, will I get “kicked out”? No. Students are never kicked out of the Second Home program. Mutually agreed upon contracts provide housing stability and a start for conversation whenever conflict may arise. Students freely create and participate in the agreed upon terms of the home share arrangement. This agreement becomes the basis of conflict mediation; however, if conflict cannot be resolved, the Second Home team will work with the student and host home provider to find alternative housing options.
Cassie's story
If any student finds themselves in a situation like mine where they’re without housing, I would absolutely hope that they get connected with an excellent host home like Second Home did for me.
Second Home provided more than just safe housing—it connected me with people who loved, supported and believed in me. I am blessed to say my host family has been a core part of my life since high school, and we remain very good friends to this day.
Having stable housing with a host family who wants to have you around, opens their home to you and is willing to support you in your endeavors makes all the difference at a critical time of life.
— "Cassie," Second Home graduate
Ari's story
I moved to the United States from South Korea by myself when I was 16 years old. Second Home matched me with a host home family twice in two years. Each family I stayed with really helped me. They came to my school to see my choir concert and graduation ceremony. And they included me in their family holiday parties. With them, I was not lonely and not afraid in the United States without my family. I am still in contact with them, and I will never forget them.
—”Ari,” Second Home graduate