Once meeting the staff and the other members, those hesitant feelings quickly changed.
“I feel like it was made to feel like home very quickly,” Harden said.
Daybreak, located at 605 S. Patterson Blvd. in Dayton, has been the Miami Valley’s only youth homeless shelter since 1975, according to its website. It offers services for youth between the ages of 10 years old through age 24, such as emergency shelter and housing and other outreach services.
Harden remembers Daybreak having a lot of structure to help youth and the young adults there get used to adult life, which it continues to do today with the programming and resources Daybreak provides its residents.
“They gave us a counselor to work with, like our very own person that we were able to communicate plans with, who I was able to meet with weekly to go over just different things that I wanted to do to get my footing,” Harden said. “I’m a young adult at this time, and I knew they could assist me in getting my own apartment to stay in.”
Harden stayed at Daybreak for about three months before she was able to get a new living situation set up.
Harden had a job at Wendy’s when she moved into Daybreak, then located on Wayne Avenue, and she was also able to get a second job at Family Dollar, she said.
“It was just a great structure,” Harden said. “I was able to communicate the things that I want, make plans, kind of organize some things so that I could get to the next step that I was looking to take on my journey.”
Daybreak gave her the space to make plans for the future, she said. Without Daybreak, she might have been homeless or jumping from couch to couch between people who would take her in.
“I felt like it was one of the best decisions for me so that I could stay on track,” Harden said.
Now, Harden is a massage therapist and runs her own business, Temple of Esteem Massage Studio, located 3410 N. Main St. in Dayton. She uses her talents to help Daybreak staff, providing them massages on the staff wellness days.
“I love it. I love every opportunity that I get to come back here,” Harden said. “...Anytime that I’m able to come back here, I’m thrilled to be able to connect with people who are still fighting this great fight to assist in the community.”
Harden is thankful that Daybreak has been able to grow and continue providing those same opportunities she got to youth in the community.
“I’m grateful for a space like this, a space that children are able to go to, to be able to get shelter, to be able to staff members who care about them,” Harden said.
For more information about Daybreak, visit daybreakdayton.org.
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