Daybreak-Dayton

Shalonda, a resident in our housing program, lives in a cozy apartment, works full-time at a daycare center, and enjoys playing cello in her spare time. If not for the generosity of our donors, Shalonda could've ended up living on the streets. Instead she has a home and is optomistic about her future. You can bet Shalonda wasn't feeling too positive the day she was kicked out of the house. She was a high school senior at Stivers School for the Arts. Fortunately, she found her way to Daybreak's emergency youth shelter and immediately applied for our housing program. Since [...]

If someone asked you “What does Daybreak do?” how would you answer? You might reply that Daybreak is the community’s only emergency shelter for runaway and homeless teens. Of course, you’d be correct. After all, that’s how we began almost 37 years ago. And our shelter is still operating and helping runaway and homeless teens, 24 hours a day. However, over the years, the faces of runaway and homeless youth in our community have changed. They’ve grown older. Today, we still see young teens, but most youth coming to Daybreak for help are 17, 18, 19 or even 20 years [...]

On November 4, 2010 Alexis, a young woman in Daybreak’s housing program, bravely shared her childhood story of abandonment and longtime abuse with over 425 guests at our Champions for Youth fundraiser. Kicked out of the house when she turned 18, Alexis finally found the home she’d always wished for when she arrived at Daybreak. With help from her Daybreak family, Alexis moved into our Beachler Apartments, finished high school, and pursued her dream of going to college. Most importantly, she says, she learned how to overcome her anger and have a positive outlook on life. Alexis, now 20 years [...]

Daybreak’s Coffee House continues to give our young clients opportunities to express themselves. Starting in January 2010, poetry was a focus at Coffee House gatherings, with the goal of hosting a poetry competition—commonly known as a poetry slam—at the end of March. Each week at Coffee House, the kids read or recited their original poems and were judged by their peers. This audition process narrowed the field to 10 finalists. On the evening of March 25, Coffee House presented its first-ever poetry slam to an enthusiastic audience of Daybreak clients and employees. The panel of three judges included J. Thomas [...]

James' mother brought him to Dayton for a "vacation" with his father. When 17-year-old James asked when she'd be back to rescue him from his father's condemned house, she said she wasn't coming back. A devastated James was sure he'd never see his mother again. He eventually left his father and turned to Daybreak for help. While in therapy at Daybreak, James expressed a need to see his mother, and our counselors agreed it would aid the healing process. James had a job but, at minimum wage, couldn't afford a bus ticket. By excelling in the Daybreak Dollars program, James [...]