Smile Community Action Agency -Lafayette
Description: SMILE Community Action Agency serves as a clearinghouse for community needs, with a focus on health, education, economic stability, and the betterment of all disadvantaged individuals, children and families that we encounter.
- Head Start -Provides social competence in health, educational, social and nutritional activities to children ages 3-5. Also offers disability services for children, and provides special needs for them so that they can interact and assimilate in the learning environment. In addition, the program provides training and technical assistance to the staff and parents to better prepare them to achieve the overall goals and objectives of Head Start. This includes workshops and college credit courses in Early Childhood Development.
- Early Head Start -Provides comprehensive early childhood development and family support services on a year-round basis to children age 0-3, and pregnant women in order to enhance children’s physical, social, emotional and intellectual development. Also supports parents in fulfilling their parental roles, and helps parents move toward self-sufficiency.
- LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP) -Provides direct payments to home energy suppliers on behalf of eligible households, particularly the elderly and disabled.
- COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM (CSBG) -Provides support services for community-based, anti-poverty programs and projects, such as emergency assistance, transportation, housing and weatherization.
- GENERAL TRANSPORTATION -Provides transportation services (within and outside of respective parishes) for a nominal fee so that clients may attend hospital and medical appointments and social service appointments.
- EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER NATIONAL BOARD PROGRAM (FEMA) -Provides emergency food and shelter, and helps with rent or mortgage payments and assists those families in need of emergency shelter and food.
- EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS -Provides emergency assistance with food, housing, clothes and prescriptions.
- LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT PROGRAMS -Provides supplementary assistance for transportation, housing and emergencies.
- COUNSELING AND REFERRALS -Provides counseling services to clients who have been referred by other social agencies. Also provides alternative services that may be available to clients.
- HOMELESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM -Provides the homeless with the opportunity to make the transition out of poverty. Also provides social and maintenance assistance.
- HUD-APPROVED COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING COUNSELING -Provides housing counseling assistance to HUD-related clients. Housing counseling activities include mortgage default, pre-purchase activities, consumer education, preoccupancy rental, rental delinquency, relocation assistance, and others.
- HOMEOWNERSHIP COUNSELING -Provides the pros and cons of becoming first-time homebuyers.
- RETIRED & SENIOR VOLUNTEER PROGRAM (RSVP) -Places retired senior volunteers in various social service agencies, which is beneficial to both the volunteers and the community.
- SMILE HOMEWORK CENTER -Provides afterschool educational assistance for students to enhance their academics.
- EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANTS (ESG) PROGRAM -Provides transitional housing for homeless families, including supportive services, to help them achieve independent living.
- MEDICAID APPLICATION ASSISTANCE -Assists with completing applications for clients wishing to enroll in the Medicaid Program. Eligibility determinations are made by the state.
- COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY CENTER -Provides limited computer technology and internet services for community residents.
- HEALTH & WELLNESS -Provides fitness and nutrition workshops and activities.
Address: 501 St John St, Lafayette, LA 70501
Phone Number: (337) 234-3272
Hours: Monday-Friday: 8:00 am-4:30 pm