For decades, Canadian homestay relied on a specific archetype: the family with a big house, a stay-at-home parent, and a desire for cultural exchange. The model was built on volunteerism, with a stipend attached.
That archetype is vanishing.
Inflation, the housing crisis, and the changing workforce have structurally altered the hosting landscape. Yet many programs are still recruiting and managing as if it were 2010. We have discussed the need for better insurance and mental health support in previous columns. But to truly future-proof homestay, we need to talk about the business model itself.
We need to stop viewing hosts as volunteers and start treating them as skilled partners.
Most programs track capacity. They know how many beds they have. Far fewer track the "why" behind their churn.
In our work with programs across Canada, we often see a disconnect. Leadership believes hosts leave because of money. When we dig into the data, however, we often find they leave because of friction. They leave because of a single bad placement that wasn't managed well, or because they felt unsupported during a minor conflict.
Futureproofing requires shifting from reactive recruitment to data-driven retention. This means conducting exit interviews that are as rigorous as your intake interviews. It means analyzing your insurance claims not just to get paid, but to spot patterns. Is a specific nationality struggling more with integration in rural placements? Are mental health concerns more prevalent with a specific age or sex/gender?
You cannot fix a system if you don't know exactly where it is breaking.
If we accept that the "casual host" is gone, we must accept that the new host needs more than a handbook. They need skills.
The survey data is clear. Hosts are dealing with higher anxiety, neurodivergence, and deeper cultural gaps than before. Programs that thrive in the next decade will be the ones that professionalize their training.
This doesn't mean a weekend seminar. It means micro-credentialing for hosts. It means offering specific modules on core-problems and skills gaps. When you invest in a host’s skills, you change the dynamic. They are no longer just offering a spare room. They are offering a professional service. This builds loyalty. It builds confidence. And frankly, it justifies the stipend in a way that "room and board" no longer does.
We often tell hosts they are "part of the family." Perhaps it is time to tell them they are "part of the faculty."
They are educators outside the classroom. When programs elevate the status of the host, providing them with the risk management tools, the data insights, and the professional training usually reserved for staff, the retention problem begins to solve itself.
The future of homestay isn't just about finding more beds. It is about making the beds we have sustainable. That starts with respecting the complexity of the job and building a program designed for professionals, not just volunteers.
StudentVIP’s Role: We provide the tools and resources that help programs succeed and hosts thrive. From our e-learning library with over 80,000+ courses to analyzing claim patterns to structuring safer protocols, we help you build a program that lasts.
Contact: info@studentvip.ca | studentvip.info
