SMART DEVELOPMENT
HOPE IS WHERE HOME IS
Our Impact: 2021 in Review
428 Families Received Housing Services
with 10 homes rehabilitated, 58 first-time new homebuyers, 38 refugee-family placements, over 25 free-minor home repairs, and more.
Over 2,100 donations
of clothing, shoes, appliances, household items, baby items, toiletries, and more donated to individuals and families.
3,892 Unduplicated Clients
received services and provided case management with 289 placements in full-time employment.
824 families
received culturally-relevant food boxes filled with halal culturally specific foods our clients can use to feed their families.
Who We Are
Our Roots
Smart Development strives to continuously spread our message of opportunity, hope, and equity. When communities struggle, we focus on not only short-term but long-term recovery for more diverse, equitable communities we call home. While we help all in need, we pride ourselves on being from the communities we serve, emphasizing refugee and immigrant communities be able to grow roots and become self-sufficient with access to the same opportunities for all. We believe that a single action can make a difference in the community, and that collective action can greatly transform lives, which is why we celebrate diverse cultures and people and act as a voice for those often under-represented and under-served. We believe our work recognizes the dignity of all those we serve and every part of who they are and seeks to create a community that allows them to thrive.
About Us
Turning Passion Into Action
Smart Development Inc is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization committed to providing diverse services to meet the needs of those we serve. While we help all in need who come through our doors, we as refugee, immigrant, and minority-leaders have a special emphasis on the Arab/Middle Eastern, Northern-African, and South Asian communities within Greater Cleveland and Cuyahoga County as we come from the community we serve. We focus our efforts in the following program areas: Housing First and Communities First. Housing First focuses on revitalizing our neighborhoods through housing rehabilitation and development services, while also aiding individuals and families in reaching financial stability and leading them to a pathway toward financial freedom. Our housing portfolio ranges from single family homes, to multi-family units that remain affordable and suitable to low-income and working class families. It is our true desire to bring a more holistic approach to community revitalization and building strong neighborhoods with options.
Communities First focuses on the additional needs within our communities that enable families and individuals to feel empowered and be able to lead lives with opportunities and the resources they need to survive. Wrap-around services are critical for whole family-stability. To help residents lead healthy, secure and dignified lives, we’ve developed a full spectrum of services that foster continued growth and empowerment for our residents, their families and their communities including workforce readiness and job development services, case management, language translation, and connecting residents to products and services they need with trusted community partners. We provide Arabic, Somali, Sudanese, and Farsi language assistance in conjunction with English as we serve as a trusted-voice and community representative for the international communities we serve. Although we serve all individuals of all walks of life, Smart Development Inc as comprised of immigrants, first-generation Americans, and individuals of diverse backgrounds, ensuring communities of color are no longer under-represented is critical.
We take pride in continuing to remain a grassroots organization regardless of how large in size or impact we grow to be. By not allowing community lines hold us back from aiding all neighborhoods in need, we zone in on areas that have been left out of community revitalization and residents who traditionally are under-served and under-represented to offer our programs and services. We ensure communities are given the proper attention and time they deserve, as partnership and collaboration are key to true transformation.
We are committed to positively impacting communities by bringing together resources in ways that make a sustainable, long-term difference. We partner with businesses, banks, foundations, community stakeholders, and other nonprofit organizations that share our beliefs and have an inherent desire to invest in social change to transform communities.
Housing
Creating healthy, affordable housing and financial pathways of success
Social Service and Workforce
Removing barriers and creating opportunities
Community Navigation
Creating pathways of integration and belonging