Michael Smith’s Bridge to Opportunity

For 30+ years, The Doe Fund has provided nearly 30,000 individuals with a bridge from addiction, homelessness, and prison cells to jobs, dignity, and brighter futures. Celebrate the Men in Blue on October 20th, 2022 at The Doe Fund’s Gala: A Bridge to Opportunity. and help us build a Bridge to Opportunity for New York City’s most vulnerable.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that nothing in life is guaranteed. In the blink of an eye, we can lose our sense of balance and fall on hard times. This has certainly been the case for the men who join Ready, Willing & Able, in search of economic opportunity and financial stability. 

And for over 30 years, The Doe Fund has provided trainees like Michael with the tools needed to build something more concrete for themselves and their families – a bridge that will carry them from streets and poverty to jobs and brighter futures.

Michael grew up in Brooklyn, where the temptations of the streets, drugs, and crime were all too familiar. Being one of seven children, the struggle for financial security was present from an early age. For a while, life was nice and steady. Michael eventually got married and had four children. For over 30 years, he worked as a chef and was always a hardworking, dedicated father.

Unfortunately, his marriage became rocky, and he lost his sense of stability when they divorced. Having nowhere else to go, he turned to The Doe Fund.

“I had a friend who recommended I join the program.” Michael told us. “I’ve always seen the Men in Blue throughout the city. Years ago, I asked one of the guys in red what they did, and he told me he was a supervisor. I kid you not, I told him if I ever become a part of The Doe Fund, I was going to become a supervisor, and that’s what I did.”

When Michael joined Ready, Willing & Able, everyone quickly noticed his strong work ethic as a trainee, and he was promoted to Street Cleaning Supervisor. For seven months now, he’s worked all over the city, leading the Men in Blue and keeping several neighborhoods clean and safe.

Being a supervisor has been a great experience for Michael, and he’s grateful for all the opportunities it’s presented. “I have no problems with the gentlemen and ladies who work on my team. I respect them as human beings first.” He continued, “I understand their struggles. I show compassion, empathy, and that’s why they enjoy working with Mr. Smith.”

Michael continued, “My favorite part about Ready, Willing & Able is being able to meet different people and going to different work sites throughout the city. I show my team that it’s a decent job, and you’re able to help out your community and clean the streets. It’s very fulfilling.”

He even had the opportunity to represent The Doe Fund and meet some of our supporters, including Joy Fishman. They instantly hit it off and spoke about The Doe Fund’s upcoming gala: A Bridge to Opportunity, where Joy Fishman and the “miracle drug” Naloxone will be honored.

Their meeting really hit home for Michael. Over the years, Joy Fishman has saved countless lives by tirelessly advocating to make naloxone, invented by her late husband Jack, available to anyone experiencing and/or witnessing an opioid overdose. Inspired by her son Jonathan, who lost his battle with addiction, Fishman has devoted her life to advancing the mass distribution of the life-saving medication. 

Thanks to her efforts, Naloxone is used by emergency medical services, police, outreach organizations, and addiction recovery groups throughout the country — including at The Doe Fund’s facilities. 

“Joy was so warm and welcoming, and it seemed like I knew her forever. Meeting her and hearing her story really hit home for me because I lost my mother and my children’s mother to active addiction,” Michael revealed to us.

This is also why Michael’s goal is to be a positive influence for the Men in Blue. “They look up to me because I don’t use drugs or drink alcohol. I show them that life can be fun without it,” he told us.

Unlike 71% of the men we serve, Michael was never incarcerated, nor has he struggled with addiction. For him, The Doe Fund was a way to get back on his feet after experiencing homelessness. 

So far, Michael has a stable job, but the next thing he hopes to cross off his list is permanent housing. “I’m hoping to have a place to call my own with my animals. I don’t want to ever be kicked out of somewhere again, and I know that through The Doe Fund, I can obtain that. There’s a plan, and I can’t mess it up. I gotta keep doing what I’m doing,” he said.

Once he has his own place he’ll be able to invite his family over. “I have a good relationship with my four children and three grandchildren. They live upstate and I spend some weekends with them.” Michael continued, “I’m just trying to get my own place so that I can move out and move on.”

Thanks to Ready, Willing & Able, Michael knows the dignity and value of hard work and is passing that on to his team. He reminds them: “You need to know what you really want in life. You can’t have the same attitude you did before joining the program like going from job to job. You need to be ready to get clean, follow instructions, change your life, and stay humble.”