Davis Housing Services

“The life I touch for good or ill will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt.”  

Frederik Buechner (born 1926) - Educator, Writer, Theologian

Share the American way of life and expose your family to international cultures by becoming a Host Family to an International Student attending UC Davis with Davis Housing Services.

By opening your heart and your home to a student from a different culture, you will be introduced to entirely new ways of thinking. It will be an unforgettable experience that will extend well beyond the time of the exchange.

The main goal of Davis Housing Services is to place international students with safe, nurturing homes and families who will give the students the support they need to succeed inside and outside the classroom.

Davis Housing Services is always ready to provide full support to host families throughout the application process and the actual home-stay program.

Host families will also be appropriately compensated according to the nightly stipend amounts shown below for their responsibilities and duties to their students.  For example of March with 31 days, the monthly stipend for lodging and 3-meals/day is estimated as 31 days * $29/day = $899.

EFFECTIVE - January 1, 2022

Nightly Stipend:

• $33/night - 3 meals/day
• $31/night - 2 meals/day (Breakfast and Dinner) + Lunch (Sat/Sun, holidays)
• $26/night - No meals/day - Private Room

To receive more information, please email us at DavisHousingServices@gmail.com or call us at (530) 908-2168. 

Host family can download the Host Family Agreement and fill out Application Form below.

Host Family Agreement

Host Family Application

We look forward to meeting you at home visit.  Thank you so much.

Host Family Expectations

International students coming from foreign countries want to experience what it's like to be a part of an American family. For this reason, host families should be prepared to treat their student like another son or daughter.  An exchange or sharing may include eating dinner as a family, offering emotional support to students, giving the student a way to help out and contribute to your family , such as setting the table for dinner or helping to empty the dishwasher, spending time together in the evenings and weekends, playing games, going to movies, sightseeing, etc.

Other Expectations:

• Familiarize the student with transportation options to and from school
• Transportation options include bike rentals, host family's car, university bus, or public transportation.
• Provide up to three meals a day (usually a sack lunch for school)
• Communicate with the program coordinators about the experience

Host Family Qualifications

• English should be the primary language spoken at home.
• Families host from varying socio-economic backgrounds are eligible to host.
• Host families are very diverse, ranging from recent college graduates, single mother homes, families with young children or teenage/college age children, and no children, retired couples, and families in which both parents work, and are broad examples of Americal life and culture.
• Students will be allowed the same privileges and rules as other family members.

Benefits to Host Families

• Personal interest for a great new “Cultural Experience” due to benefits for their own children   

• Widen perceptive to learn different cultures though an educational and cultural experience due to personal connection with someone from another country 

• An unforgettable experience for your family

• Exposure to another culture without leaving home
• The chance to make a difference in the life of an international student
• The opportunity to learn more about your family and culture from another perspective
• Developing a lasting friendship with your student and keep in touch even after the program's completion
• A nightly stipend to offset the costs of hosting
• 24-hour supportfrom Davis Housing Services coordinators throughout the program
• Opportunity for reciprocal exchange

Steps to becoming a host family

• Contact Davis Housing Services to learn about upcoming programs and requirements
• Fill out and submit host family application form
• Participate in a family interview and home visit with Davis Housing Services Coordinators
• Authorize Davis Housing Services to conduct a background check on household members age 18 and older
• Receive your student's information and profile from Davis Housing Services Coordinators
• Attend a host family orientation with other host families
• Come to the requested meeting center to meet your student!
• Keep in contact with Davis Housing Services about your experience with the student