Thrive International, the nonprofit that has housed hundreds of refugee and immigrant families in Tacoma and Spokane, announced on Nov. 4 that it is shutting down for good. The closure follows a punishing arbitration ruling, a stalled property purchase in Tacoma, and mounting financial strain that left the organization unable to keep its doors open.
Thrive provided transitional housing for refugee and immigrant families, according to The News Tribune. The organization was founded in Spokane in 2021 and later expanded its work to Tacoma in Western Washington, the paper reports — though The Spokesman-Review dates its founding to 2022, when it says Thrive was created to give refugees temporary housing until they could find permanent shelter. In the Nov. 4 announcement, Thrive said operations are expected to conclude by the end of 2026, subject to court approval, with administrative wind-down continuing into early 2027.
A Legal Fight Over Rent Triggers Receivership
The main factor that triggered the receivership, per the same account, was litigation in Spokane over rent and insurance payments involving Thrive's landlord. An arbitration judge ultimately ruled in favor of the landlord and ordered the nonprofit to pay $3.3 million in back rent and insurance. Thrive filed its receivership case in Pierce County Superior Court in March 2026, and receiver Shelly Crocker said she determined to pursue dissolution after reviewing the organization's finances and operations.
Crocker also pointed to new work permit restrictions imposed on refugees, asylum seekers and other noncitizens as a factor that made Thrive's operations untenable. She said state funding routed through small immigrant and refugee programs was not sustainable on its own. A 2025 report from the Spokesman-Review found Thrive relied primarily on private donations, resident payments and state funding, with roughly 10% of its budget tied to federal funding passed through partner organizations — and a 2026 report from Range Media noted that federal grants, an important funding stream for organizations like Thrive, were cut off entirely.
Tacoma Property Deal Falls Apart
Thrive's Tacoma site at 8810 S. Hosmer St. was structured as a rental with an option to buy, but the organization learned in October that it would have to leave the facility. The nonprofit had received $2 million from the Washington State Housing Trust Fund toward purchasing the property and had raised additional funding on top of that, but it never used that extra money because no sale contract was ultimately reached. Crocker rejected the proposed purchase price for the property and said the organization could not agree on terms that would have allowed it to stay.
Eighty-three Tacoma families are now being rehoused across Pierce County and some in South King County, Crocker said. Families being relocated come from Venezuela, Angola, Honduras, Congo, Mexico, Haiti, El Salvador, Kenya, Colombia, Russia, Burundi and Afghanistan, and are moving into apartments of their own choosing in Pierce and King counties. Thrive helps families apply for apartments they select and assists them with furniture options, while about half of program participants are choosing to stay in Tacoma near the Thrive Center, according to Anna Bondarenko, director of Thrive Center Tacoma.
From Ukrainian Aid Effort to Statewide Housing Provider
Thrive's Tacoma operations trace back to a request from King County, which asked the organization to help after a refugee encampment that included asylum seekers from Venezuela and Angola sprang up in the county in 2024. The organization later relocated to its current Tacoma facility. Its roots go back further still: Thrive's first project supported Ukrainians fleeing Russia's invasion in 2022.
By 2024, Thrive said it had become Washington's largest supportive-housing provider for refugees and immigrants, estimating it had helped more than 1,200 individuals by that point, according to the Spokesman-Review. In May 2025, the organization said it was housing about 350 people at its Tacoma site alone, per KNKX. At the start of 2025, Thrive reported that its Spokane site had assisted 965 residents into permanent housing since opening, according to a report carried by Yahoo News, with the Spokesman-Review separately noting that more than 50 families in the Seattle-Tacoma area had moved through the program as well. As recently as this past summer, Thrive opened its doors to families displaced by wildfires near Spokane.
What Happens Next
Thrive's Tacoma operation will remain open through Dec. 31, 2026, and the organization is continuing to accept donations for families at the Hosmer Street site until that date. Thrive says it is transitioning residents into safe, stable and appropriate housing arrangements as the wind-down proceeds. Its limited remaining funds will be distributed to creditors under a court-supervised process once operations conclude.
Families or community members seeking more information can call or text Thrive at (509) 209-1996. The nonprofit's closure still requires court approval before it becomes final, and the organization has said administrative wind-down work will stretch into early 2027 even after housing operations end.
