When Danny was three years old, he was adopted along with his sister due to abuse and neglect from his biological parents. “They preferred doing drugs and drinking. They weren’t really the keeping and eye on or watching or nurturing kind of parents. My sister and I spent most of our time in a room that was locked. My sister experienced it more because she was older. I don’t particularly remember most of it.”

After graduating, Danny and his sister went to live with their biological aunt, the only person they knew from their biological family. After that didn’t work out, Danny was unable to move back in with his adoptive parents since they had downsized and no longer had a room for him.

With nowhere to go, Danny decided to walk from Spokane to Purdy where he had lived and gone to high school. He made it all the way to Kent when a friend and her grandma picked him up. “We were driving through Tacoma and were looking up different shelters. I found one in Tacoma but was only there one night, because it wasn’t a safe place to be. Then I left and ended up walking and followed along the Cushman trail which led me to historical downtown Gig Harbor.”

While walking around, Danny recognized the Fish Food Bank and met a couple who helped him out. “They drove me around calling different places, stopping by people I was friends with or knew from school seeing if they knew of anything. One of the people I ran into was a former teacher. She called Chapel Hill and they told her about Coffee Oasis and they took me over there.”

Danny stayed in The Coffee Oasis shelter for about a year. “Staying at the shelter it was nice knowing I did have a place and I didn’t have to think about if I had somewhere to stay for the night. It was just a guarantee. I would just show up and go in. I didn’t have to worry about that. I didn’t have to worry if I was going to eat anything.”

Danny enrolled in The Coffee Oasis job training program and completed an internship. “Job training was very helpful. Before that, I usually would go to a job interview and freak out a bit. Now, every time I’ve had an interview I’ve gotten the job.”

Danny has also been meeting with a case manager to set and accomplish goals. He was able to move into a transitional housing program and is now preparing to move into his own apartment.

We estimate it will cost $659,100 to fully-fund The Coffee Oasis youth shelters for one year.