Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
She doesn’t officially start her new role until Oct. 6, but spent her first day meeting with staff and others in hope of keeping the youth-oriented social services organization in the minds of Dayton residents.
Daybreak provides emergency shelter, food, clothing and counseling to more than 500 people ages 10 to 24 each year and operates the Miami Valley’s only 24-hour crisis hotline and emergency youth shelter.
There’s a wait list for one of the 24 transitional living spaces at Daybreaks facility, 605 S. Patterson Blvd., and for the 60 apartments the organization uses around the city for those who are ready to be on their own. There are about 120 kids in their care at any given time.
The last time Daybreak’s revenues covered its expenses was in 2021, according to IRS filings.
Her first priority is to reach out to the community in an effort to increase Daybreak’s name recognition, Patel said. In addition to funding, Daybreak needs clothing, diapers and volunteers.
“I don’t want people to forget about us,” she said.
Her first big outreach effort will be the Nov. 13 Champions for Youth Brunch, which celebrates Daybreak’s 50th anniversary.
In addition, she wants to reinstate services that have diminished or gone dormant since the COVID pandemic including employment services for Daybreak residents.
Patel has more than a decade of leadership experience in hospital administration, quality improvement and strategic growth, most recently as the CEO of Summit Behavioral Healthcare in Cincinnati.
Prior, she was executive director of operations and quality at Dayton’s Haven Behavioral Hospital, an acute-care psychiatric hospital where she spearheaded a multi-million dollar expansion project.
She also previously served as director of risk management and performance improvement at Garfield Park Behavioral Hospital in Chicago.
Her new role is a preventative one, she said, unlike her previous positions where she worked in mental hospital settings in which 98% of patients had been charged with crimes.
“I look at Daybreak as a way to give the youth a way out of the cycle,” she said.
Her long-term plans include establishing community partnerships with schools and organizations like Dayton Children’s Hospital to address behavioral health needs at Daybreak and the community at large.
Patel replaces Alisha Murray, who was appointed in February 2023.
Murray left at the end of August to become CEO of UMCH Family Services in Columbus.
Established in 1975 as an emergency shelter for homeless and vulnerable youth, Daybreak has grown to include outreach, prevention, transitional housing, life skills education and other services for homeless, runaway and vulnerable youth.
If you need help or need to talk to someone about your situation, call the crisis hotline at 937-461-1000.
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