Removing Barriers So Every Child Is Ready To Learn

Basic Needs & Housing

The Foundation began with one generous donation and one solitary vision: to provide for the unmet basic needs of students attending Vancouver Public Schools. We see “basic” as what students need to come to school healthy, happy and ready to learn. Safe shelter. Glasses. Dental care and hygiene items. School supplies. Shoes and clothing, to name a few.

As needs increase in our community, our work in basic needs has grown to include a Basic Needs Fund at each of the over 40 schools and programs we support.

Approximately half of our annual budget goes toward basic needs, including:

Food
Clothing, shoes, and hygiene items
Housing resources (see Safe Haven Program)
Medical, dental, vision screening
Glasses, hearing aides
School supplies
Athletic & activity fees
Gas card or transportation fees

To learn more about the support we provided for basic needs during the 2024-25 school year, check out Our Impact page.

School Funds

The Foundation provides an annual budget for every principal and/or Family-Community Resource Coordinator serving each of the over 40 schools and programs we support to quickly and confidentially help students in need. This program allows school staff to focus on individual student needs ranging from personal hygiene items to class or activity fees, bus passes, medical needs, senior year expenses and more.

Family-Community Resource Centers

District Family-Community Resource Centers (FCRC) support connections between families and school communities. FCRCs are a place where students and families can access a range of information and support including assistance with basic needs, connections to social services, and access to opportunities that alleviate stress, enrich learning, and promote family stability. Funds from the Foundation for VPS allow FCRC staff to get children to school healthy, happy, and ready to learn.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Foundation supports all of the district’s onsite Family-Community Resource Centers.

Click HERE to view contact information for your school.

Safe Haven Program

Housing instability is a significant barrier to student well‑being and academic success, increasing stress, disrupting routines, and contributing to chronic absenteeism and learning loss. Within Vancouver Public Schools, 1,503 students have experienced homelessness during the 2025–2026 school year, highlighting the critical need for timely, preventative support. Our Safe Haven housing stability program focuses on early intervention—helping families remain housed before a temporary setback escalates into long‑term displacement.

The program primarily supports families who are otherwise financially stable but face an unexpected short‑term crisis, such as a medical expense, brief job loss, or essential car repair, that threatens their housing. By providing targeted assistance at this pivotal moment, FVPS helps families regain stability and maintain continuity for their children. This prevention‑focused approach is highly effective: more than 90% of participating families remain housed one year later, allowing students to stay safely connected to their schools, peers, and learning environments.

How It Works

Administered in partnership with the Council for the Homeless (CFTH), the Safe Haven Program provides both immediate financial relief and connections to long‑term housing resources, ensuring families receive both timely and sustainable support.

Family‑Community Resource Coordinators (FCRCs), based in VPS schools, identify families at imminent risk of housing loss and ensure assistance is directed where it will have the greatest impact.
The program provides a targeted, one‑time payment equal to 25% of a family’s rent, enabling families to recover from short‑term financial crises without falling into homelessness or experiencing disruptive displacement.
FCRCs retain flexibility to respond to exceptional circumstances. In unique cases where a family may not qualify under the 25% assistance program—such as families facing a child’s terminal illness or situations involving domestic violence—alternative housing assistance may be provided.
Families whose needs extend beyond short‑term stabilization are supported through a specialized component of the Safe Haven program designed to address longer‑term housing challenges. FVPS continues to support these families through additional forms of assistance, ensuring thoughtful use of resources while centering student stability.

Medical & Dental Care

Can you imagine going to school or trying to concentrate in class with an active medical problem or dental pain? We work closely with local clinics like the Free Clinic of Southwest Washington as well as traditional health care providers to connect students from low-income or uninsured families to low-cost services.

Vision & Hearing

Hundreds of our children have trouble learning due to hearing and vision problems. What if you couldn’t see the board or read a book or hear your teacher? Thanks to our donors, the Foundation is able to offer vision and audiology services such as eye exams, frames & lenses, hearing tests and hearing aids for students in need.