VALRICO, Fla. — Every day teenagers and young adults age out of the foster care system with no money, no family and no place to go.
So a nonprofit organization out of Valrico has been stepping in, providing these youth what they need the most: love and support.
His own tiny house, his own car, an education and a job—DJ Goings said he wouldn't have any of it without Forgotten Angels.
“I’m working toward my goals. They’re helping me. Why do I have to be afraid?” said 20-year-old Goings.
Forgotten Angels Founder Cindy Tilley has been offering a safe haven for homeless or at-risk youth since 2015, many of whom aged out of the foster care system like DJ.
“For me, it’s personal because I lived it,” said Tilley. “I was placed in foster care in fourth grade, and I left the system when I was 17, and I don’t know how to put it, but it’s very, very scary out there when you don’t have a safety net.”
Tilley is always adding to the secluded 12-acre Valrico property, including a butterfly garden, coffee shop and farm animals, which gives her residents and guests plenty to do.
“That sense of community and belonging is the most important thing you can do with anyone,” said Tilley.
The young men who live on the property must also learn and accept responsibility.
“So you build your own home, you get shown how to make it from scratch all the way up,” said Goings.
The goal is to give them the tools to eventually make it on their own, but that being said, they will always have a place at the dinner table.
“They can come back at any time, like when we have Christmas and we have Thanksgiving. I have kids that come from everywhere,” said Tilley.
Tilley said she couldn’t do it alone. The nonprofit relies heavily on community support, like Josh Lauranti and Chey Mitri.
“Never really thought about it until it was presented to us, and after that, how could you look away?” said Mitri.
Lauranti and Mitri decided to use their motorcycle-themed YouTube channels to raise more than $1 million by raffling off dozens of bikes over the past 18 months.
“Motorcyclists who have been moved by this story, a lot of them have been in foster care themselves,” said Lauranti.
As for DJ, after years of struggling to survive, he’s just happy to find people who care.
“As I see it, there is love to be spread around and it’s definitely here,” said Goings.
Forgotten Angels plans to expand their services to young women by building a second campus for girls. They also hope to eventually expand out of state.
As part of their ongoing fundraising efforts, they are currently auctioning off a dream home worth $250,000. For more information, click here.
