The youth at Daybreak often experienced some level of family conflict or relationship issues within the home before becoming unhoused. This may look different for everyone, but can stem from abuse, neglect, substance misuse, or tensions that come with adolescents’ need for independence. Daybreak often receives young people who have new or ongoing relationship challenges at home after reporting that they are pregnant or identify with marginalized sexual orientations or gender identities.
Some young people turning to Daybreak for help have aged out of the foster care system.
This group of youth and young adults is the most at-risk population for experiencing homelessness, as many exit foster care programs without sufficient planning. This leads to a gap in the young person’s readiness for the workforce, financial literacy, and access to affordable housing.
While most young people are unhoused for reasons outside of their control, they are faced with very real horrors as a result. Violence and trauma await youth who may not have a safe place to call home. Cold temperatures and lack of access to healthy food work against young bodies trying to grow. Those familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs know that when basic needs go unmet, humans simply cannot survive, let alone thrive. This inability to thrive perpetuates the cycle of homelessness, poverty, and generational trauma.
And yet, the financial support for organizations working to ensure our community’s young people find a path from unsheltered to living independently is dwindling. Much like most housing organizations, Daybreak relies on funding from Medicaid, the generosity of donors, foundations, and government grants to cover programmatic and operational costs.
In the early years of Daybreak, the organization benefited significantly from donors. With large businesses like NCR, Mead, and Standard Register churning out high paying executives and offering healthy retirement plans, the community was poised to provide strong financial support to the region’s nonprofits. As these businesses wound down activity in the area, access to robust philanthropy waned. This resulted in Dayton’s nonprofits competing more and more for access to local foundation grants and private donors’ support.
At the same time, Daybreak and other housing support organizations are facing what could be the most impactful government cutback in recent history. HUD has proposed vast and deep funding cuts – 70% or more for some programs. If the plan proceeds without intervention, Daybreak could face a 20% drop in funding, resulting in a significant reduction in our ability to maintain current service capacity.
After 50 years of offering hope, housing, and healing, Daybreak’s mission has never been more vital. The challenges we face are real but so is our capacity to rise to them. With the Miami Valley’s support, Daybreak can continue to move young folks from crisis to confidence and surviving to thriving. In the words of Daybreak’s Board President, Alisha Eilers, “Hope won’t fill the gap. Community will.”
Courtney Patel is the CEO of Daybreak.
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