DAYTON, Ohio — For children experiencing homelessness, having access to mental health services can play a critical role in getting back on their feet.

For nearly fifty years, Daybreak has served as an emergency shelter for youth and is one of the only facilities like it in Southwest Ohio.

What You Need To Know

  • For nearly fifty years, Daybreak has served as an emergency shelter for children and youth experiencing homelessness.

  • Recently Daybreak received a $175,000 grant from the Greater Dayton Brain Health Foundation.

  • Funds from the grant will help with more access to mental health services.

“We would all sit here and hang out and watch Madea, because it would come on tv every single day and we would never be able to finish the actual movie,” said former Daybreak client Altar Lee as he looked around one of the common areas inside the shelter.

He stayed at Daybreak on and off from when he was 16 to 22.

“I remember the laughs, the arguments, the crying, all the playing,” he said.

Now at 26-years-old, he stops in from time to time to visit and give back.

“It still feels like home,” Lee said.

He’s been back on his feet for a long time now and feels comfortable sharing his journey.

Lee will be speaking on a panel for an upcoming fundraising event.

“I have borderline personality disorder, which can be a tough time for anybody, whether it’s myself or anyone around me,” Lee said. “I wanted to make sure I had the best help possible after going through situations with my family and saying ‘Hey, I don’t think I’m going to make it if I keep on the same track I’m on’. I came to Daybreak, talked to them, let them know what was going on, they welcomed me with open arms.”

At Daybreak, children are treated like family.

“Last year we saw 740 youth. We’re on track now to where we’ve already seen probably around 400 so far,” said CEO Alisha Murray.

It’s not just about having a warm bed to sleep in, a place to call home for a while, or enough food to eat, but also having services that encourage growth and development.

“They have access to basically continuing their school or education. We provide tutors on-site several days during the week, also we make sure they have transportation to and from school,” Murray said.

Recently Daybreak received a $175,000 grant from the Greater Dayton Brain Health Foundation.

The fund will help with more mental health services.

Murray said they’ve seen an increase in mental health symptoms along with substance abuse challenges, and an uptick in suicides within the community.

Murray said having access is an important piece of the puzzle when tackling homelessness.

“It’s huge. So when you’re tackling housing instability or trying to find employment, or navigating community resources, if you’re dealing with a mental health disorder, that can create additional barriers to you basically achieving self-sufficiency,” she said.

For Lee, learning about the grant hits a personal notes.

“Hearing they got that grant is really nice because it’s like ‘we can do more’,” he said.

Over the years, Lee has dealt with his own mental health, but these days he’s moving forward.

“I’m still doing school. I’m set to graduate in the Summer. I’m a pastry chef,” he said.

He has a lot of goals, plans mapped out, and advice to share during the panel.

“You have to make sure that you’re determined, you have to make sure that you’re ready to take those steps to move forward and know that you’ve got a great organization behind you ready to support you to move forward,” Lee said.

“Basically, we want to be a beacon for our youth like Altar that basically needs a place to stay and stay safe,” said Murray.

Lee said his other plans include launching a podcast, working with video production, and moving to Scotland to continue pursuing his culinary goals.

This week he’ll share his story at the Champions for Youth Fundraising event in Dayton.