Meet Kevin Waters | CEO & Co-Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kevin Waters and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kevin, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
My goal was/is to create a platform for the formerly incarcerated and other underserved populations to successfully transition into their independence through teaching a series of life skills classes and employment readiness skills. The process of transitioning into independence is overlooked by many organizations in that there is a belief that getting a person employment or reintegrating them into a relationship will lead to a healthy acclimation. The reality is that without addressing traumas, emotional intelligence, and how to resolve conflict in a healthy manner many successes will be short lived. This concern birthed Dream Live Hope Foundation with a myriad of wrap around services taught by people with lived experience.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As the CEO of Dream Live Hope (DLH) I am humbled at the position I find myself in. I did not rise to the level of CEO through a normal course of college, Directorial advancement, or nepotism. I founded DLH after a life of turmoil and chaos. I was involved in gang activity at the age of 12; kicked out of several junior high and high schools; and I eventually found myself at one of the toughest prisons in the state of California by the age of 19. My gang mentality survived court appearances and convictions. It outlived being confined in prison and removed from my family. However, through God’s grace I was able to recalibrate my moral compass. I went from being the problem to helping solve the problem of gang violence in our communities. I went to college, got a degree, and wrote a book to address the chaos I was once a part of.
Twenty-five years later I found myself being released from prison to a father dying of pancreatic cancer and siblings struggling with drug addiction. There are a lot of miraculous circumstances that helped me to change my mentality allowing me to be released eight months before I was eligible. Blessing me to spend the last 52 days of my father’s life at his bedside.
Most worthy of note though was finding a woman, my wife, who would motivate and support my dreams. I knew I wanted to have an impact on youth and the population that suffered from the same misguided perceptions that I once had. She supported my decision to move out of our home, within thirty (30) days, to turn it into a transitional housing program. Her unwavering belief in me and my vision facilitated its manifestation.
Of course, this was not without it’s fair share of challenges. As a person with lived experience it was not easy to garner funding support and/or trust from the law enforcement side of the equation. I worked construction and drove Lyft for nearly three (3) years to make sure that individuals being paroled to our housing facility would not have to pay rent. I spent hours on the phone connecting with resources and networking with people in the field to help support the DLH efforts.
We started as a four (4) bed facility and expanded to a seventeen (17) bed facility within a year; and a thirty (35) bed facility within four (4) years. The youth mentorship program followed shortly thereafter and DLH now has contracts and grants totaling well over a million dollars. The experiences I have with gangs, drug dealing, incarceration, college, mentoring, counseling, and so many other things I’ve experienced within the chaos has prepared me to be the type of leader that can lead from a position of empathy.
Dream Live Hope is not only MY dream, but also a tribute. The letters DLH are the initials of the victim in the crime that led me to prison. This forces me to always be conscious of him and the impact I’ve had on his family. Not a day will ever go by that I don’t think about, pay tribute to, and honor the people whose lives I’ve negatively impacted.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If it were my best friend visiting I would definitely want to take him to some of the different eateries I have discovered through my wife, but didn’t get a chance to experience growing up. I would also want to take him to a few of the overlooked sights in LA. My passion for riding and traveling would come next via the bike ride and exploring the new public transportation that can take us to different stretches of LA while missing LA traffic. It would look a litlle like this, not necessarily in this order.

eat, drink,
• Nathalie Thai – Venice
• Tarjish – Marina Del Rey
• Ugo – Culver City
• Lucille’s BBQ – Fox Hills
• Home cooked Southern Food & Central American Food

visit,
• Tour DLH Resource Center & Housing
• SoFi
• Griffith Park
• Church
• Museums
• Universal Studios
• Hollywood Tour

hang out

Bike Ride from Dockwiller Beach to Santa Monica Beach
• SM Pier
• Venice Boardwalk
Metro Train Ride from South LA to DTLA then to LBC
• Crypto Arena
• LA Live
• Long Beach Pier
• Visit Family in Gardena

Interesting People
• Founders of IWATC, Creative Acts, Ten Toes In
• Individuals Reintegrating into Society
• Push for Peace Participants

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I dedicate my drive and success first and foremost to God. He has performed so many miracles in me and in my life that I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Him. Outside of my wife, family, and other obvious supports I would say that my peers in the re-entry arena unknowingly motivate me to be the best me I can be as the CEO of Dream Live Hope Foundation. I watch the drive, determination, and overall resolve of those formerly incarcerated and how they fight through the barriers simply to get into the starting blocks in the race called life and it motivates me to do everything in my power to support those efforts.

Website: www.dreamlivehope.org

Instagram: @dreamlivehope

Linkedin: @dreamlivehopefoundation

Facebook: @dreamlivehopefoundation

Youtube: @dreamlivehopefoundation