When most teens enter foster care, they are told that they may possibly go home after are getting the chance to create a better life for themselves. They are promised a safe home where they can have a family that can be called their own. But for many teens, these promises are just empty words that have no meaning. As the statistics show, many foster kids are aging out of the system and have nowhere to turn. More than 23,000 teenagers will age out of the US foster care system every year. After reaching the age of 18, most of them end up in a pipeline of horrific statistics, such as:
- 50% of them will be homeless within 18 months.
- 25% will be arrested within 2 years.
- 7 out of 10 girls who age out of the foster care system will become pregnant before the age of 21.
- Less than 3% will be successful by the age of 23
According to the Annie E Casey Foundation, if aged out foster youth had the same outcomes as youth who didn’t age out, the US taxpayers would save $4.1 billion.
DASH Foundation Inc. was created to provide SMART DREAMS HOME(S) that would change these statistics and allow young adults aging out of foster care to build dreams, independence, & freedom so that they have a successful transition into independence. These specialized homes will develop teenagers and young adults through our DREAMS therapeutic empowerment coaching model that coaches teens to build an identity around their DREAMS:
- D – Driver: The young adult is in control
- R – Relationships: The young adult circle of influence matters
- E – Education: The more the young adult knows, the more they can achieve
- A – Accountability: The young adult is responsible for their choices
- M – Motivation: The young adult must know how to push through it
- S – Spirituality: Life is bigger than the young adult and just experiencing every day with no purpose
Contact: Michael Williams, Founder & CEO
Email: mike@dreamsandsuccesshomes.com
2103 Coral Way, STE 200, Miami, FL 33145
Website: dreamsandsuccesshomes.com
Tel 305.501.0389Â |Â C: 727.710.7801
DASH Foundation, Inc. is a fiscally sponsored project of the Center for Social Change, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization