Unaccompanied Students Initiative

11/10/2026

Thank you to Jim Hearne and the Mary H Storer Foundation for awarding Unaccompanied Students Initiative with an operational grant.

This generous support will help USI continue our mission to provide a safe and stable home to students ages 16-20 experiencing homelessness while they concentrate on their education.

We are deeply appreciative of the Foundation's commitment to investing in local organizations and the people we serve.

29/09/2026

-Donor Appreciation Raffle Update-

We Have a Winner!!!!

Congratulations to Stacy K for winning tickets to the 10/17 University of Wyoming vs Northern Illinois football game!

Stacy has been a dedicated donor for many years and was randomly selected from an amazing group of current year donors.

Have fun at the game, Stacy! Go pokes! 🤠🐎

We are extremely grateful for the support of our community - Change starts with donors like you 💚🤍🧡

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/impact-a-youth-today

15/09/2026

We are incredibly grateful to the Wyoming Women's Foundation for awarding us a grant in support of our organization.

After having to pause operations due to funding challenges, this grant represents an important step forward toward a path to reopening services.

We are honored by the Foundation’s investment in our mission and their belief in the importance of the work we do.

13/09/2026

🏈 A quick reminder: our UW Football raffle is a couple days away! A donation made before 09/17 will enter you to win 2 tickets to the Cowboys vs. Northern Illinois game on 10/17. Visit usinitiative.org and click on the donate button to enter. Go pokes! 🤠

We are also looking for volunteers to help us continue moving forward. Whether you can give a few hours or take on a larger role, we’d love to hear from you. Visit usinitiative.org/get-involved to sign up.

Over the past several months, many community members have asked questions about our financial challenges and service pause. In an effort to remain transparent and accountable, we have completed and published a Financial Review Report that provides a detailed look at our financial situation and the factors that contributed to recent decisions. Visit usinitiative.org/about to view the report.

18/08/2026

-Donor Appreciation Raffle-
Have you donated to USI this year? Maybe you planned on donating but just haven’t gotten to it? Now’s your chance! Click on the link below, make a donation before 09/17. As a thank you for sticking with us through difficult times, all Jan thru Sept 17 2026 donors will be entered into a drawing for your chance to win 2 tickets to the 10/17 University of Wyoming vs Northern Illinois football game.

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/impact-a-youth-today

Change starts with donors like you - USI is grateful for your support!

No teenager chooses homelessness. Help us help them. Providing a safe and stable home to develop sustainable independence for students ages 16-20 experiencing homelessness. 69.6%of homeless students in Wyoming’s public schools stayed with others while homeless. 2% of all Wyoming students enrolled ...

13/08/2026

03/08/2026

Unaccompanied Students Initiative (USI) Announces Services Pause Due to Funding Shortfalls

Cheyenne, Wyoming -

In order to ensure long-term viability of the program, the USI Board of Directors have voted to temporarily pause services in both Cheyenne and Laramie effective August 14th, 2026. Financial challenges prompted the organization to identify and evaluate cost-reduction strategies. This pause in services is driven by funding shortfalls that have prompted USI to revise the program structure to a more sustainable model that will enable the organization to better serve the vulnerable population that we passionately serve. The pause also includes a time of organization restructuring and the pursuit of partnerships which will give the organization the opportunity to resume services in future months.

USI plans to transition back to a more financially stable volunteer staffing model which was historically successful. USI is actively recruiting and training volunteer staff during the pause of services and will resume youth intakes once a volunteer staff is in place. Those interested in volunteering can submit a request through our website: Get Involved/Volunteer — Unaccompanied Students Initiative

The staff and Board of Directors are prioritizing the placement of the youth currently enrolled in the program and are making efforts to ensure a smooth transition for each youth.

The Board of Directors wants to thank the organization’s donors, volunteers, and community collaborators. Your partnership with us has been the driving force behind our every step, and we look forward to continued collaboration as we restructure and work toward resuming services.

The Unaccompanied Students Initiative (USI), a 501c3 non-profit program, provides a stable home and a support system to homeless unaccompanied students in Wyoming that live in a variety of unsafe, temporary situations allowing the youth to focus on obtaining their high school diplomas or equivalent. The program also teaches life skills, such as resume writing, budgeting, goal setting and achievement, and personal advocating, so that once the students graduate from the USI program, they become productive, independent members of society.

To learn more about the organization by visiting https://www.usinitiative.org/about

21/07/2026

18/07/2026

A very special thanks to First Lady Jennie Gordon for providing tickets for us to attend the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo! We had a blast!