About 1,660 Beaverton School District students experienced homelessness, according to the district's most recent data.
With the first day of classes Tuesday, Aug. 25, a program born inside the district 16 years ago is looking for more local families willing to open their homes.
Second Home, run by Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, connects unaccompanied homeless high school students with screened volunteer host families so the teens can stay enrolled and finish school.
Last school year, Second Home assisted 84 students statewide, providing 5,884 nights of housing and 17,652 meals, according to the program's website. Its students graduate at a rate above 90%.
The program is now growing further. In March, Second Home launched a pilot at Portland's Roosevelt High School, its first partnership with Portland Public Schools. Assistant program manager Brittany Piper told The Oregonian the nonprofit has placed two Roosevelt students with host families and is preparing to place six more.
A former Beaverton High student's path
Savina Zuniga spent years moving between relatives' and friends' homes before a school counselor at Beaverton High School connected her with Second Home. The stable housing helped her graduate a year early.
"I was able to get out of that survival mindset," Zuniga told The Oregonian in an Aug. 14 interview. "My self-confidence grew so much and I felt empowered because of Second Home's support."
Unlike foster care, the host home model serves students who are not wards of the state. Placements stay in communities where students already live, so they keep attending the same school and stay near friends. Students go through two mutual interviews with prospective host families and can accept or decline the match.
Federal funding under threat
The program's growth comes as the Trump administration's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget seeks to eliminate all $129 million in dedicated funding for the McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program. Congress preserved the funding last year after the administration made the same attempt.
Oregon has moved to protect its students. Gov. Tina Kotek signed House Bill 4149 on March 31, codifying McKinney-Vento protections into state law. The law guarantees immediate enrollment regardless of documentation, transportation to a student's school of origin and access to support services.
BSD maintains its own McKinney-Vento program with dedicated liaisons reachable at 503-356-5071.
How to get involved
The need is real. Statewide, 12 host home programs serve 19 counties, with 209 young people currently in host homes or waiting for placement, according to Matt Rasmussen, manager of the Oregon Department of Human Services' Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program.
Families in Washington County interested in hosting do not need to live within a specific school district. Anyone in Clackamas, Lincoln, Multnomah or Washington County can apply at [email protected] or emo-secondhome.org.
