"Bringing Coffee Oasis to Tacoma was an amazing, hard-fought journey as there were NO shelters or safe places for teens under the age of 18 to sleep. They were forced to sleep under the bridges. So wrong!" says Angela Connelly. 

"It was a little group of gritty moms (myself and Gwen Ingalls) who challenged the status quo to get these vulnerable kids a safe place to sleep at night. When we found Coffee Oasis, and begged them to come to Pierce County, it was a miracle! Today there's not only a new gorgeous community cafe, but also the kids have safety, job training, education, case management, and absolute thriving for Pierce County's teens experiencing homelessness. Miracles can happen when everyone rolls up their sleeves together!"

Walking into the Coffee Oasis, one finds the comfort and atmosphere that used to be commonplace in all coffee shops. But this particular cafe is more than just a local spot to grab a coffee.

Started in 1997 in Bremerton by Dave and Cindy Frederick, the Coffee Oasis was born out of a need to help youth in crisis. In the past 26 years, they have grown to five locations, the latest of which is located at 1424 Tacoma Ave S. Offering an overnight shelter for youth ages 13-17 in Pierce County, Coffee Oasis has been filling needs since its inception. While the shelter provides a living space for youth, the drop-in space serves people ages 13-25 with laundry, showers, food, job training, clothing, and classes among other practical needs. Their services go beyond the building, and include a crisis text line, a street outreach, and a school outreach to advertise their services to those in need. Alongside the cafe is a beautiful conference room available to rent out for local businesses. 

Though we are often encouraged to forgo our morning latte to support our local non-profit, Coffee Oasis allows us to indulge ourselves while helping local youth. It doesn’t get any better than that.

For them to send 100% of their profits back to the youth in need in our community, The Coffee Oasis relies on volunteers, community sponsors, and their annual auction.

Tacoma Café is located at: