Naz Wapau was 18 when she ran away from her home in Weipa in Queensland's Gulf of Carpentaria.

Her parents did not approve of her boyfriend, so the young couple packed up a battered old car and hit the road.

"I didn't have a plan at all — I just left," Ms Wapau said.

The couple made it to Rockhampton before the car broke down, then bought bus tickets to Brisbane with their "last bit of money".

Naz Wapau said life was difficult to ask for help when she was homeless and broke. ( Supplied: James Christie )

They arrived in winter with no cash, no warm clothes and a creeping fear that leaving their community was the wrong decision.

"It was really bad — we had no food, no money, no place to go, we didn't even shower," Ms Wapau said.

"We got off the bus at Roma Street and then had two weeks sleeping rough on cardboard in Mary Street … it was a silly decision, we just left our jobs and left without telling our families that we were going.

"Life was hard and terrifying then, because we both didn't know Brisbane and what could happen to us."

Ms Wapau is a proud Ait Koedal woman, with her ancestors coming from Saibai Island in the Torres Strait.

She said it was difficult to ask for help.

"We googled soup vans to get us some meals … I was moving from house to house, trying to find somewhere to live," she said.

Second Shot at life

Ms Wapau said she was "at that point of giving up" when Second Shot came into her life.

Second Shot is a social enterprise started by Brisbane man James Christie last year.

It operates two mobile coffee trucks across the city and trains and employs young homeless and disadvantaged people to operate the vans.

Each Second Shot coffee van employs four people. ( Supplied: James Christie )

Mr Christie said its mission was to give young people a "second shot" at life.

"Our young team members operate the vans, with the revenue raised going directly to pay their wages and the training and support we provide," he said.

"We give them real life skills to break their cycle of homelessness."

Naz Wapau (R) credits Second Shot van founder James Christie (L) with giving her another shot at life. ( Supplied: James Christie )

Ms Wapau was one of their first employees and their first "success story".

Each van employs four people, providing them with an income, barista training and financial counselling.

But the drop-out rate has been high, with 30 per cent quitting the program due to mental illness, drugs and crime.

Mr Christie even had doubts about Ms Wapau at the start.

"I didn't think Naz would commit to it but she just put her head down and she was willing to do whatever it was she needed to succeed," he said.

"She knew she had to make some sacrifices, she knew she had to put in some hours that were unsociable, but she did it.

"In her own quiet way she became a mentor for the other young people coming through."

A future with Queensland Police Service

After nine months working as a barista with Second Shot, Ms Wapau now has a job as an assistant recruitment officer with the Queensland Police Service.

After nine months working as a barista Naz Wapau secured another job with the Queensland Police Service. ( Supplied: James Christie )

"Being in the police service has changed my life so much — not just my life but my family, my community and my partner," she said.

Now 21, Ms Wapau is living in a two-bedroom unit in Brisbane and her boyfriend is working as a truck driver.

"When you're homeless there's a lot of temptation — there's drugs, domestic violence and suicide," Ms Wapau said.

"I'm not a drinker, I'm not a smoker — I'm just really proud of myself that I didn't go down that path and give up."

She is also grateful for the opportunities given to her by Second Shot.

Naz Wapau now works as an assistant recruitment officer with the Queensland Police Service. ( Supplied: Second Shot )

"James gave me another shot in life — I'm very grateful for where I am today and the past has taught me big lessons," Ms Wapau said.

Ms Wapau also has big dreams.

"My goal is to become a sworn-in police officer and to go home and help my community and be a role model for my community," she said.

"My message to my community at home is to never give up, keep hustling, respect yourself and keep smiling — and if you have something that you want to achieve, go for it, don't let any opportunity go."

The 2016 census data showed 116,000 people were homeless in Australia and more than 5,800 in Brisbane.

The highest rate of homelessness was among people aged 19 to 24.

Mr Christie said he aimed to expand the Second Shot coffee vans into regional Queensland next year and other states in the years to come.