ABOUT US
It started with one person who never looked away.
Ryan and Our Beginning
Ryan's House for Youth is named for Ryan Busche — a free-spirited, fun-loving young man who never met a stranger and never looked away from someone in need.
Ryan was known to invite someone experiencing homelessness in for dinner and a shower. He once spent time on the streets of Portland simply to understand what it felt like to survive with almost nothing. In his early 20s, Ryan and his wife Abby were lost on Alaska Airlines Flight 261 off the coast of California.
Ryan was Lori Cavender's godbrother. What started as a college project inspired by his memory became a mission. In January 2010, Lori founded Ryan's House for Youth as a 501(c)(3) — and the work began in a van. Street-based outreach. Basic needs. One young person at a time.
From there it grew. A drop-in center in Freeland. Lori and the young people she worked alongside helped pass Host Home legislation (HB 2440) in 2016. That same year, the Coupeville campus was purchased and the emergency shelter and transitional housing programs were built from the ground up.
This organization carries Ryan's name because it carries his instinct — to see people, to show up, and to never walk past someone who needs help. Lori made that instinct into something that lasts.
Our Mission
Ryan's House for Youth exists to ensure young people in Island County have safe housing, steady relationships, and a real path toward independence.
Our Vision
A community where no young person faces housing instability alone. Where safety is immediate, support is steady, and every young person has a real path toward independence — built on relationships, accountability, and the belief that every young person can.
What Drives Us
Safety
Physical, emotional, relational — safety is the foundation everything else is built on. Every young person who walks through our doors is met with dignity, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or what they've been through.
Lived Experience
Not a line on a résumé — a foundation. It shapes how we build trust, how we respond in crisis, and how we design programs. Our Youth Advisory Board, made up of current and former participants, examines our work through a racial, social, and equitable lens to ensure we are meeting people where they actually are. It's one of the reasons Washington State Department of Commerce recognizes RHFY as a 'by and for' organization.
Accountability
Low barrier means we remove unnecessary hurdles. It doesn't mean we remove expectations. Young people set goals, build real skills, and work toward independence. We model that too. It's okay to mess up. What matters is what happens next.
Celebration
Milestones matter. We name progress, we honor it, and we make sure young people see how far they've come. Independence isn't one big moment — it's built through small wins that deserve to be recognized.
Consistency
We stay. When systems fall short, when people leave, when things get hard — we're still here. Rooted on Whidbey Island. Stewards of community resources. Showing up every day.
Our Team
Our 12-person team shows up every day — across every program, on campus, in housing, and in direct conversation with young people navigating complex systems.
Leadership here stays accessible. Doors stay open. Decisions stay close to the work. The Executive Director remains in conversation with young people across programs — listening to what's working, where barriers remain, and where we need to do better. Those conversations inform real decisions and shape how we move forward.
Every staff member brings lived experience with the same barriers our young people face. Our team reflects the diversity of the community we serve — in background, identity, and the roads that brought them here. That proximity is intentional. It changes how we lead, how we respond in crisis, and how we stay when things get hard.
Inclusion here is structural. It shapes who we hire, how we design programs, and how we hold ourselves accountable.
We also employ youth positions — including a former participant who facilitates our Youth Advisory Board and current youth gaining paid work experience on campus. Leadership and opportunity are shared here, not handed down.
Lived experience isn't an add-on. It is the foundation of this organization.
Youth Advisory Board
Our YAB is made up of 10 current and former participants who do more than advise — they shape how we operate. They examine our programs and internal culture through a racial, social, and equitable lens, identifying barriers and guiding how we deliver services.
This isn't symbolic. It's governance. Young people have a seat at the table because their lived experience strengthens this work.
Board of Directors
Our board brings together professionals from across Whidbey Island with backgrounds in education, social work, healthcare, counseling, human services, teen shelters, and real estate. They've seen firsthand how housing instability affects young people — and they've committed to doing something about it.
Tom Choquette, President
Jim Adams, Vice President
Marchele Hatchner, Treasurer
Susan Cook, Secretary
Sarai Cook, Board Member