Jess* grew up in South Carolina, but moved with her mom and sister to Washington to leave an abusive situation. Life was not easy, as her mom and sister both struggled with addiction. Jess stayed in school and tried to be different. Things became even more challenging as her mom sustained an injury at work. Her mom was behind on rent, and after the injury, they were evicted. They moved in with a friend of her mom, but for Jess, this housing situation was only temporary. 

During Covid, Jess found out about the Port Orchard Coffee Oasis through one of her friends. When she became homeless, she remembered that there was a shelter in Bremerton. She couch surfed for a couple months as she was processing her next steps. There was a one month wait before she was able to get into the Bremerton Shelter.

“I connected with all the night staff and Esther (a case manager)… I made a lot of connections with people and I’m glad for the people I did make friends with.” 

Jess stayed at The Coffee Oasis shelter for the full 150 days and is currently couch surfing while she waits to get into the Evergreen Bright Start program–a 24-unit, supported-living housing program in partnership with Bremerton Housing Authority and Kitsap Housing Solutions. Jess experienced an extensive interview process to get into the housing program. Her case manager expressed that she felt this would be a good fit since she was a hardworking person and desired to go to school, get a car, and get her license.

Jess graduated from high school a few years ago and desires to go to Olympic College to study biology and switch to WSU for zoology. She wants to work with wildlife as a park ranger or at the zoo. She is planning to fill out her FAFSA and looking to apply for next year. She is currently a lifeguard and will soon begin teaching swim lessons. She likes to read fantasy, craft, and go on adventures with friends–they recently went to a waterfall near Olympic National Park. She comes to the drop-in center when she can and meets with her case manager.

Story Written by: Caryn Wright //  Date Written: December 5, 2024
*Youth’s name changed for privacy