One man’s journey from foster care to Forbes Magazine

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A Tallahassee man made it to the pages of Forbes Magazine at age 31 not because of his wealth, but because of his entrepreneurial spirit and a portfolio of homes across Florida designed for a single renter – and only for one tenant – in mind.

Care-released Michael Williams and his fast-growing DASH Foundation are trying to ensure that other children who are independent and alone have a home, hope and a coach to help them become self-sufficient.

At the age of 20, Williams was on his own.

In the two years since he left the public care system, he had dropped out of college, lost his job, and managed to get enough money for a gym membership, but not enough to pay his rent.

“I didn’t really want people to know I was homeless and I didn’t want to owe people or ask them for help,” Williams said. “So I had a car at the time and I ended up sleeping in my car in several parking lots.”

A Planet Fitness parking lot in Tallahassee was one of them.

“I could go work out in the morning, take a shower and then come back to the real world like I had my own home or a roof over my head,” he said.

Williams was homeless two years after his release from care. He says he slept often... — Williams was homeless two years after his release from care. He says he often slept in his car.(WCTV)

Fast forward about a decade.

Michael Williams graduated from TSC, founded the DASH Foundation and Dreams and Success Homes, and runs it all from his own home just blocks from the FAMU campus.

It is one of 32 DASH homes across the state designed to provide housing, coaching, education and professional development opportunities to those emerging from care.

Isaiah Hall was one of them. At 13 he was placed in a foster family.

“When I turned 18, the thing I was most excited about was getting my own place and making it my own,” Hall said. “What worried me most was the lack of knowledge I needed to go out into the real world, because the world is hard.”

Isaiah Hall lived in a DASH house in Tallahassee and studied welding there.(WCTV)

Hall lived in a DASH house in Tallahassee for two years and took welding classes here. He recently returned to Miami but said the combination of support and responsibility helped him focus on the future.

“That extra support definitely makes getting up a lot easier, and you know, making sure you can do it,” Hall said.

DD Lazorenko started a new beginning in a DASH house in Tallahassee. She says DASH provided her with a safe space and increased confidence to become independent and successful.

“My life has changed tremendously,” Lazorenko said. “New possibilities. New beginnings.”

Lazorenko now lives independently, studying at Tallahassee State College and pursuing her dream of becoming a family nurse practitioner.

“I achieved a 4.0 in the first semester and a 4.0 in the second semester. “Last semester I managed a 3.5,” Lazorenko said.

When we first met DD last year, she was working at a local daycare and living in an apartment with a DASH coach right next door.

DD Lazorenko speaks with DASH trainer Shaqualyn Shedrick.(WCTV)

Shaqualyn Shedrick, who everyone calls Ms. Quay, is a trainer for DD and other young adults.

“Going from nursing home to nursing home, neighborhood to neighborhood,” Shedrick said. “If they can make it here, I don’t really know if I can do it.”

Ms. Quay and the other DASH trainers provide support and advice in navigating the real world.

“A calm, welcoming atmosphere that says, hey, it’s safe to share, hey, I’m ready to help you, hey, I want to help you get to the resources that solve these problems.” said Shedrick. “It brings them great relief.”

Lazorenko said Ms Quay was an essential support in making her dreams come true.

“She knows the areas that I need help with and then we meet and talk about it and then she guides me on the right path and kind of encourages me,” Lazorenko said.

Statistics show that leaving foster care and transitioning into adulthood can be daunting.

The latest data from the National Youth in Transition Database shows that by age 19, 44% are in school, 52% are working either full or part time, 13% are incarcerated, and 19% have experienced homelessness.

Thousands of young people are trying to gain a foothold.

For Mike Williams, it’s not just statistics. They are young men and women just like him.

It was his determination to change the course of his life – and her life – that landed him on Forbes Magazine’s 2021 “Next 1000” list, a list of “emerging entrepreneurs who are redefining the American dream.”

“At first I was shocked, but now I smile every time I see it because I know it will be inspiring to someone who comes from my homeland,” Williams said.

Williams entered the foster care system at age 12. He said he lost count of how many nursing homes he had been in, and as he got older he became involved in nightlife and a cascade of bad decisions.

Williams says he knows the challenges because he’s lived them, and he wants others to know they too can overcome them and be successful.

“I want people to see this and say, Hey, this young man grew up in foster care, came from the bottom, and if he can do it, I can do it,” Williams said.

The DASH Foundation celebrates its 5th anniversary next month.

Williams has just completed his first book, Smart Dreams: A Motivational Handbook to Transform Childhood Trauma into Resilience. It will be released in January 2025.

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