OAKLAND — As someone who spent her childhood moving among foster homes, Dajonna Benjamin has faced challenges from the very start in life.

But now with a little help, the 22-year-old single mom is overcoming perhaps the biggest of all for a person with her background: Building a productive future.

In May, Benjamin secured a place for herself and her 5-year-old daughter at an East Oakland transitional home that supports young mothers as they exit the foster care system.

Along with providing counseling and other services in a roommate-like setting, the home offers moms the time to build new lives for themselves and their kids.

“I did not care where it was, it just had to be stable,” Benjamin said as she sat in the living room of the home off Seminary Avenue, while her daughter, Leniyah, played nearby. “And this is the most stable I have ever been.”

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The home is one of three operated by Beyond Emancipation, a nonprofit founded more than 20 years ago by Alameda County social workers who saw foster youths struggle as they aged out of the system, especially because up to 50 percent are likely to experience homelessness.

It serves 1,400 clients between the ages of 14 and 24 annually.

“Part of our mission is to give young people a sense of permanency,” said Kamela Stewart, the agency’s community housing coordinator. “We also want to connect them to the broader community around them.”

Beyond Emancipation, also known as “B:E,” has received funding this year from Share the Spirit, an annual holiday campaign that serves needy residents in the East Bay. The grant is administered by the Contra Costa Crisis Center, and donations support programs of more than 40 nonprofit agencies in Contra Costa and Alameda counties.

Placed into Child Protective Services at age 6 months because of what authorities described as “medical neglect,” Benjamin lived in foster homes in Oakland, Richmond, Stockton, Tracy and other parts of the Bay Area while growing up.

She became pregnant at age 15, and graduated shortly afterward from Hayward’s Brenkwitz High School, which serves students who are in danger of dropping out.

She occasionally had her own place, or sometimes stayed with friends, until she learned about Beyond Emancipation.

“I was just moving from house to house,” Benjamin said.

Benjamin and the four other moms now at the house, a former single-family residence, can stay for up two years. Rent starts at $50 a month for the first six months. It then goes up $50, and it continues to climb at the same rate every six months until they leave.

Benjamin works as a security guard at a San Francisco high-rise. The hours are 4 p.m. to midnight.

Benjamin leaves her daughter at a childcare that offers 24/7 service, and takes buses and BART to San Francisco. She picks up her daughter at the end of her shift. They are usually back at the home in East Oakland around 2 a.m.

Benjamin then gets up around 6 a.m. because her daughter must be in kindergarten at 8:30 a.m. Afternoons are for rest.

The single mom hopes to save enough money to get her own apartment and possibly a car. She also thinks she may take college classes someday.

In June, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf honored Beyond Emancipation at an event that featured Chef Nikki Shaw, a finalist on Food Network’s “The Next Food Network Star” competition.

The emphasis was on food because Beyond Emancipation hosts healthy living workshops on how to prepare good meals on a tight budget.

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Shaw was there to remind everyone to use fresh ingredients, which can be difficult to find in places like East Oakland. She offered a cooking class during the event, while Benjamin gave a talk before the mayor and the others about her life.

“I had everyone crying,” Benjamin said. “I did not want to cry, but then I started crying, too. But at the same time, I felt good because l knew that I was picked as the example to show people that it is possible to make changes in your life.”

SHARE THE SPIRIT

The Share the Spirit holiday campaign, sponsored by the Bay Area News Group, serves needy residents of Alameda and Contra Costa counties by funding nonprofit holiday and outreach programs.

To make a tax-deductible contribution, clip the coupon accompanying this story or go to www.sharethespiriteastbay.org/donate/.

Readers with questions, and individuals or businesses interested in making large contributions, may contact the Contra Costa Crisis Center, which administers the fund, at 925-939-1916, ext. 408, or sharethespirit@crisis-center.org.