Kingston North Kitsap Noon Team Rotary Club members received an update from Derrick Means, Kitsap Community Development Manager for Coffee Oasis, at their Mar 27 meeting.
The always-enthusiastic Means, himself a survivor of bad habits and prison time, explained that Coffee Oasis now has six locations, including Kingston, helping vulnerable youth, with the opening of a new spot inside the Silverdale library. Briefly, the unique business model of Coffee Oasis is to operate a coffee shop/cafe facility "in front," with proceeds providing services for youth in need "in the back, where drop-in centers - with showers, food, games, and help - are available.
The Coffee Oasis goal is to meet youth in their most vulnerable places. One such avenue is their Crisis Text Line, which handled 5,037 texts in 2023. They also provide housing services for homeless youth. With forty-thousand homeless youth in Washington state, there are only six youth specific shelters, two of which are operated by Coffee Oasis. They provided 2,423 bed nights in 2023 to kids in Kitsap; kids that didn't sleep in the woods or on the street.
Another service of Coffee Oasis is Youth Development, providing job training, mentorships, and life coaches.
3,154 came to Coffee Oasis for help in 2023, 1,066 of whom were connected through their schools.
Kingston North Kitsap Rotary Club supports Coffee Oasis each year. Means urged members to participate in the upcoming Kitsap Great Give, with specific donations directed to Coffee Oasis.