ZAK Initiative Transportation Program celebrated at event

People Empowering and Restoring Communities (PERC) and Homeless Empowerment Program (HEP) leaders came together to honor the legacy of Zak White. 

An official launch event for the ZAK Initiative Transportation Program was held Tuesday at the HEP campus in Clearwater.

The program provides underserved populations with transportation to and from jobs and work opportunities. Individuals have been able to use the service for over a year. 

White, who served as HEP’s executive vice president for over 15 years, died in 2024. 

People Empowering and Restoring Communities, also known as the Pinellas Ex Offender Re Entry Coalition, serves local offenders and helps them readjust to society. 

The organization provides a variety of programs and education opportunities to returning citizens, the unemployed or underemployed, the homeless and at-risk individuals and families. 

Founded in 1986, the Homeless Empowerment Program provides homeless and low-income families and individuals with housing, food, clothing and support services to help them achieve self-sufficiency and improved quality of life.

Zak White

White worked closely with PERC leadership as a collaborator and board member. HEP and PERC have been partners for more than a decade. 

The ZAK Initiative Transportation Program was designed to be affordable, user-friendly and reliable, PERC CEO and executive director Michael Jalazo explained at the Tuesday gathering. Currently, individuals can call a number to book a ride. An app is in the works. 

PERC is utilizing a fleet of vans for the effort. The project has been in development for multiple years. 

“We have to get people to and from work,” he said. “That’s literally the only part of this that’s simple. Transportation is a barrier for any underserved population and every underserved population.” 

Funding partners include United Way Suncoast, Florida Hires, Pinellas County, Pinellas Community Foundation and the Empowering People Program. 

“I think it’s important that we remember Zak for who he was,” said HEP vice president of clinical services Tawny Swain Castle at the event. “Today, we celebrate not only the launch of an incredible resource for the community, but also the legacy of a man who dedicated much of his life to serving others.” 

She explained that “overcoming homelessness requires more support than just housing.” Individuals need support systems, work and education opportunities and pathways to stability. 

“Reliable transportation can make all the difference,” Swain Castle said. “You can have the determination to work, the skills to succeed and the desire to build a better future, but if you can’t get a ride to the job interview or you can’t get to the job, then you can’t have that.” 

Tiffany Miller works at the Arts Conservatory For Teens, which is based in St. Petersburg. She and White grew up together in Dunedin. They shared a passion for music. 

After reuniting in 2022, Miller and White would become a couple. Often, they went to concerts together. 

“His presence always calmed people,” she explained to the Catalyst. “He was always so interested to hear what you had to say. Even at such a young age, there was something that drew me to him.” 

Miller believes that White would be pleased with the ZAK Initiative Transportation Program. 

“He was so passionate about social causes and helping people,” she said. “He helped everyone else but himself. His dedication was completely to helping not just his friends and loved ones, but people in society and the community.” 

HEP co-founder Barb Green has many fond memories of White. 

“Zak was just a good kid,” she told the Catalyst. “I say that even though he was an adult. He was so smart with book work. He just had that mind. I know that HEP has a number of things that we wouldn’t have had if Zak hadn’t been around.” 

Green believes that the effort can make a “big difference” for people. When homeless shelters run out of bus passes and other transportation options for clients, community projects like the ZAK Initiative Transportation Program can be essential. 

“This is why we need partners like PERC to come in and say ‘we can do it’ and make it happen,” she said. “It wasn’t just a promise in words.” 

ZAK Initiative Transportation Program website