Since 1975, Daybreak Dayton has served as the region’s only shelter for unhoused youth and young adults, providing essential services and programming to individuals ages 18 through 24 who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or couch hopping. In addition to housing, the shelter provides life-skills training, educational support, employment and mental health services, and more, with a goal of changing lives and creating futures.
Leading these efforts is Courtney Patel, CEO of Daybreak, who took over the reins last October during a time when the nonprofit organization is facing what could be the most substantial government cutbacks in recent history. According to a recent Dayton Daily News article she authored, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has proposed widespread funding cuts that could result in 70 percent or more in reduced funding for some housing programs. She cautions that if the cuts go ahead as planned, Daybreak is looking at a 20 percent drop in funding, which will significantly inhibit the organization’s ability to support the 500 youth it serves each year.
Read more about Daybreak and how you can help them help others in this Q&A featuring Courtney Patel.
What is the mission of Daybreak?
Daybreak’s mission is to provide Miami Valley’s unhoused youth and young adults with services that promote safety, stability and well-being. We are specifically focused on housing, shelter and support services needed to ensure youth and young adults can move from being unhoused to living independently.
Daybreak has been in operation for more than 50 years. Why are your services now more important than ever?
All our services are incredibly important. We have a waitlist for our shelter and housing programs simply because we do not have the capacity to serve as many youth and young adults who need our services. While we need safe spaces for our young people, we also are looking to add a prevention service line. The goal of this new program will be to identify youth and young people who may need support to stay in their homes before they become unhoused. We will link them to other community support programs, as well as provide them with therapy, life skills, family relationship support, workforce development, education services and behavioral health support, with the ultimate goal of ensuring they have what they need to remain living in their homes.
As you begin your tenure as CEO, what changes are you looking to implement or programs are you looking to build upon?
In addition to prevention programs, we recognize that the youth and young people who come to Daybreak often have additional unmet needs and are traditionally underserved. As a result, I would like to initiate a small clinic service to address basic physical wellness and medication management. We also intend to add substance-abuse counseling services to give our youth and young adults the skills they need to make safe choices, as they often witness substance misuse in their respective environments and are tempted to experiment at this age.
Daybreak has received several grants from Dayton Foundation fund holders for the Lighting the Way campaign. Can you tell us about this campaign and how others can help support it?
We are so grateful for the support we have received through The Dayton Foundation. The Lighting the Way campaign was initiated after Daybreak lost roughly 20 percent of our income due to government funding cuts over the last two years. With the 2026 HUD Notice of Funding Opportunity, there is a risk that Daybreak will lose another 20 percent. The Lighting the Way campaign’s goal is to ensure that we sustain current program capacity, while we build the infrastructure needed to diversify our income to safeguard long-term sustainability. This expansion and diversification will ensure that within three years, we are less dependent on government funding and private donations and more self-sustaining. However, we need assistance to get us through this time and put the logistics and infrastructure in place to roll out our plan.
We are happy to meet with anyone interested in aiding our campaign, provide a tour or explain our plan in greater detail. Others can support the Lighting the Way initiative by donating through their donor-advised or Charitable Checking AccountSM funds at The Dayton Foundation, online at www.daybreakdayton.org or by mailing donations to 605 S. Patterson Blvd., Dayton, Ohio, 45402.
How does The Dayton Foundation help you help others?
The Dayton Foundation absolutely helps us help others. We help 500 young people on average each year. Without the support of The Dayton Foundation, we would not be able to assist them with shelter, housing or the other wraparound services we provide. That could mean 500 young people left to live on the streets in our community. We know Dayton would not stand for that, but the support through The Dayton Foundation helps prove it.
What are your most important needs right now? How can the community support them?
Currently, our most significant need is financial support. While we appreciate clothing, food and household goods donations, financial contributions specifically help us place young people in apartments, provide shelter, pay utilities and serve warm meals to youth and young adults in our program.
We are truly grateful for the generosity of our Dayton neighbors. We recently celebrated our 50th anniversary, and we could not continue our mission without the love and support of folks in our community.