The Bread of Life’s DayBreak Community  Health Center programs emphasize a multi-disciplinary approach to delivering care to low-income, homeless and indigent persons.  We combine an aggressive street outreach ministry with integrated systems of homeless prevention primary health care, mental health, substance abuse services, case management, and client advocacy. 

We recognize the importance of making sure that people are treated with dignity and compassion.  We focus on their basic physical needs first then help them to assess and respond to the more chronic health issues they endure on a daily basis.  We believe strongly in providing quality, continuity of care to the individuals who see us as their medical facility and a place of refuge.  We coordinate and collaborate with other community health providers and social service agencies to maximize our capacity to respond to their needs while ensuring that they receive the best possible care available to them.

We recognize the compound issues and symptoms affiliated with homelessness are extreme and seek to mitigate the impact of these two socioeconomic demographics by providing long lasting preventative and primary care and supportive services.

A)  DayBreak Reprieve- Rent/Utility Assistance Program, provides rent, mortgage and utility assistance to families in the community.   The Daybreak Reprieve –Rent/Utility Assistance Program includes activities designed to prevent homelessness including:  

• One month's rent/utility assistance for families and individuals that have received eviction and/or utility termination notices. *
• Short term subsidies (not to exceed three (3) months) to defray rent and utility arrearages for families and individuals that have received eviction and/or utility termination notices.*
• First month's rent and security deposit (to be applied to last month's rent) to permit a homeless family or individual to move into its own apartment.*
• Mediation programs for landlord-tenant disputes
• Legal service programs for the representation of indigent tenants in eviction proceedings
• Payments to prevent foreclosure on a home

  RENT/UTILITY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

All clients receiving any rental/utility assistance, short term subsidy or security deposits must meet the following eligibility requirements:

  1.              Families whose most recent address is within the City of Houston who are at risk of or on the edge of homelessness.

  2.              Families must have received eviction, vacate notices or notices of termination of utility services.  The families must also meet the following conditions to receive rent/utility assistance:

  a)   the inability of the family to make the required payments must be the result of a   sudden reduction of income,

  b)   the assistance must be necessary to avoid eviction of the family or termination of services to the family,

  c)   there must be a reasonable prospect that the family will be able to resume payments within a reasonable period of time; and

  d)  the assistance must not supplant funding for preexisting homeless prevention activities from any other sources.

B)  The After Dark @ Daybreak- Low impact shelter program focuses on the following objectives:

As noted in the Coalition for the Homeless, Houston/Harris County 2007 Enumeration Report, there are approximately 3,700 people who are chronically homeless.  A significant number of this population resides within the City of Houston.  A more concentrated percentage of homeless can be found in the downtown/midtown area. 

According to City of Houston crime reports, the downtown/midtown area has a high incidence of criminal activity including narcotics violations, burglary and other nuisance violations including disorderly conduct and petty thefts.  Additionally, drug use increases in the evening in the downtown/midtown area due to the lack of support and attention in the area.

After Dark @ Daybreak is working with the Houston Police Department to ensure security is provided both within and surrounding the facility.  By providing shelter to the most vulnerable, predators access will be reduced.   The facility’s proposed hours of operation will be from 3p.m to 7a.m.  This will allow for:

      3 p.m.       Facility opens; assessments complete for new users, job training and placement

      7 -10p       Case Management services available to the clientele; support group and other life  skill building activities

      8p.m.        Dinner

      11p.m.      Sleep space provided; Shower and Laundry Services provided

      6:3a.m      Breakfast

      7:00 am    Clients leave to attend outside activities, work, social services, etc.,

Contact: Deborah Bonner, 713-659-3237 Ext. 4125

Volunteer Coordinator and Administrative Assistant to

Elischa Campbell, Director of Operations