Each year, Care For the Homeless honors people who have experienced homelessness and achieved incredible milestones in health, housing, and employment. Their stories are reminders that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to homelessness, but with access to health care, supportive services, and community support, success is possible.

Sylvia has found purpose not only through her work with the Department of Education, but also through her community outreach and entrepreneurial efforts. She continues to uplift the women she met while staying at Susan’s Place, showing that leadership is rooted in connection and compassion.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What is your name?  

My name is Sylvia Marie Smith. 

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?  

I’m an entrepreneur. I own my own business. I work for the Department of Education, and I volunteer in my community—so I give back. 

Can you tell me a bit about your experience with unstable housing?  

My experience here—for me—it was a great success. 

I basically involved myself with the women, tried to give them resources. And I also volunteered here. Any event they had, I would stand up and say, “Okay, I’ll do it.” So that was basically my goal while I was here. 

How were you initially connected to Care For the Homeless? 

Well, my aunt worked for DHS—she’s a supervisor—and a former friend of mine also went into a shelter. She told me to come, and I said, “You know what? Let me give it a try.” And it was a great success.  

Can you tell me a bit more about your employment? 

I work for the Department of Education. I’m a school food helper. So basically, I prep, I serve, I prepare. I also do an after-school program where I prepare snacks that are considered dinner, even though they’re technically snacks. 

And then there’s my volunteer work. I go out into the community, I feed the homeless, I talk to them, see what kind of resources I can offer. So basically, that’s what I do. 

What does this achievement mean to you?  

Oh, it’s very important to me, because I had a chance to learn skills in the kitchen—techniques, and how to do certain things. And I also learned how to understand where the kids are emotionally—their feelings, their attitude. So that’s my achievement: I got to understand and learn from the children, as well as my fellow staff. 

Did you have any prominent obstacles when you were trying to find this job?  

Not really. Due to my surgery, I couldn’t work at the time. So, I volunteered with the school district—which was District 8. 

I did basically everything. They needed someone for school crossing guard—I was there. They needed help with the after-school program—I was there. I was the PTA president, because my nieces and nephew also went to the school. So, I had a chance to learn hands-on before I actually got the job. 

What do you hope this position means for your future? 

Because I’m an entrepreneur—I own a business, I make clothes, I do a little bit of everything—I’m like an all-American girl. 

It taught me to try and establish my own business. So that’s what I’m doing now. I just got a letter today to go get my EIN number. I just got the paperwork to get my tax write-off number. I’m trying to open my own business, because my family has businesses in a bunch of other states. 

I want to start a nonprofit organization and get my vendor license so I can serve the community without someone suing me—[you know, if they got sick from something I served or something like that]. So that’s basically my goal: to own my own truck so I can feed the community. 

You obviously have a relationship with a lot of the women here. What would you say to help them? 

I was here for nine months, and during that time I really came to understand a lot of these women. I built a bond with them—it was like a sisterhood. 

Like I said, Room 405 was the room to be in, because I was there. I was like their big sister. I gave them resources, brought things in for them, helped them find the support they needed to get out on their own. 

I’d tell them, “I’ve been out on my own before.” But after my mom passed away, things took a left turn. So, I came here and started my own little group. 

Now, I’m getting ready to launch a Zoom class with all the women who were in Room 405. I own my own women’s group, and I want to bring them into that group—to share resources, check in on each other, and help one another move forward in life. 

Thank you so much. Is there anything you want to add?  

I just want to say thank you to this shelter for giving me the opportunity to be here—and to connect not only with the residents but with the staff, too. Everybody loves me in this building! 

So, I just say thank you for giving me this opportunity, and I hope everyone here gets the resources they need, moves forward in life, and never looks back. Thank you.