Q&A: Dave Frederick of The Coffee Oasis on Building Community Relationships

Plans to open a new drop-in center for homeless youth in the picturesque waterside town of Poulsbo, WA, have brought concerns and criticism from some citizens and enthusiastic support from others. We spoke with Dave Frederick, executive director of The Coffee Oasis, the youth-serving group that will operate the center. He shared the lessons he’s learned about some people’s wariness of facilities for the homeless and the proactive steps organizations can take to appease fears and develop good relationships in the community.

NCFY: You’ve encountered some pushback in developing the new drop-in center. Why do you think that happens sometimes?

Frederick: I think the major pushback came from where it always comes from, which is fear of the unknown. You hear the words “street youth” or “homeless youth,” and that conjures up fears in some people because they don’t know any, and they’ve heard stories about crimes, drugs and vandalism. Our biggest focus is on eliminating [misconceptions about homeless youth] through building relationships and disseminating information.

NCFY: Why are good relationships with neighbors important?

Frederick: What we do is a part of a community. If we don’t see ourselves as part of the community and are just doing our own thing, we’re missing out on the depth, breadth, skills and resources of the community. Taking the time to build those resources and those networks makes it a community thing.

NCFY: What can programs do when they’re first getting involved in a new community to establish good relationships and set a good tone from the beginning?

Frederick: There are key groups that people should reach out to—civic clubs, faith communities, the police and schools. The leaders in a community are usually represented in those groups and are people who care about their community and want to make a difference. When we first reach out to a community, we start with who we know and meet people through them and go relationship to relationship to relationship.

NCFY: Are there any missteps that programs make that can damage those relationships?

Frederick: It can be a misstep to think, “Hey, we have enough support so we can run over those who aren’t on board.” Maybe it's my bent as a peacemaker, but I think it’s important to reach out to people who oppose what you’re doing. It’s always worth the extra effort to keep relationships smooth and build more support. In a community everyone’s connected, so if you get someone new to support your program, you might then have the support of their husband, who might be a city councilman.

Additional Resource

"Please Leave a Message: Marketing and Communications for Youth-serving Organizations"