The Daybreak program helps homeless youth overcome neglect, abuse, family strife and financial troubles on the tough path to adulthood.
The Board of Supervisors granted Daybreak $315,000 in Measure A funding to overcome a crisis and allow the transitional housing program to operate as organizers explore alternative funding sources. This video tells the story of three teenagers.
Transcript:
Female 1: I’m 18 years old and I am part of this program called Daybreak. I have been homeless for about four years now and at some point in my life I almost lost hope.
Male: So I’m 19. I just graduated from high school this year. Like a couple of months ago me and my family got kicked out of our house. So we were like homeless.
Female 2: I’m 19. I first heard of this program a year ago because I was having family problems and I wasn’t able to stay with my mom.
Male: I’d have to like send money to my dad sometimes because sometimes he wouldn’t work and my mom never worked at home so I was the only one working in my house so I had to like support kind of both because they are divorced. My little brothers too, like sometimes I would have to buy my baby brother diapers.
Female 1: I left my mom’s house at 14 because I was abused for that whole time by my stepfather, and that’s the reason why I got emancipated.
Female 2: I go to school because I wasn’t able to finish school. Daybreak has really helped me kind of get back on my feet.
Male: Nia is helping me. She’s my case manager. She’s helping me to get back to school.
Female 1: I thought I was alone, that no one would help me in this world. Once I got here I met new people my age, my life has literally turned around.
Older adult: Mealtime is a nice, important way to connect over something delicious, something healthy.
Female 1: Thank you guys for joining and eating my poisonous food.
Laughter.
Male 2: I don’t think I have a low today, or for the week.
Male 3: My high was (laughter) probably helping clean my roommate’s store. It was kind of fun. My low was also helping clean because I don’t like cleaning (laughter), but I mean we had fun.
Female 2: My main priority for now is finishing my high school and then once I have my diploma in my hands only god knows what will happen.
Female 1: It’s something that I’m not used to, having a home first of all, and having nicer people in my life.
Female 2: It’s different in the fact that it shows you some discipline and it also shows you how to be responsible.
Male: I want to be like a counselor and stuff, kind of like them.
Female 2: My dream is to help others make a better and smarter decision for their lives.
Female 1: They helped me so much, they’re helping me with my health, something my parents have never helped me with.
Female 2: I would really want to become a teacher.
Female 1: I see myself as a psychologist. I love talking to people and I love helping people see the more positive way in things, and to let them know they are not alone.
Male: Even some of like the residents here, will like tell me like what happened to them in the past and like, and some of the things are like really hurtful that I wouldn’t imagine going through those things.
Female 1: Knowing that I’m in a better place is something new and I have to get used to it.