Back on a Successful Road

Ludean Spears was only stopping into the Community Action Agency of New Haven (CAANH) to see if she might get help with her energy bills. A single mother, she’d lost her job and money was tight. The CAANH staff encouraged her to apply to be part of the Single Mothers Actively Reaching the Top (S.M.A.R.T.) program. She got more than she ever expected.

“I came in for one thing and ended up being part of a program that I know will be a lifelong resource,” Spears said. “They invite speakers in to talk about health, nutrition and healthy cooking. They teach us about financial literacy and the importance of good credit, how to maintain a bank account and how to work toward self-sufficiency and home ownership.”

The S.M.A.R.T. program was one of 10 Greater New Haven nonprofits to receive a Pathways to Economic Security for Women grant from the Fund for Women & Girls this year. The Fund is committed to addressing the economic disparities experienced by women — particularly women of color — by investing in programs and services that work to ensure economic stability.

Jenell M. Lawson, CAANH’s deputy director and vice president of human resources, said more than 650 women have gone through the S.M.A.R.T. program since it began 16 years ago. The program also provides meals to participants. “We found that moms on fixed incomes went hungry to feed their children,” Lawson said.

Some women in the program have experienced domestic violence or are unhoused or facing other crises. The nonprofit provides case management so women can receive the services they need. Participants take part in resume writing, mock interviews and a 40-hour internship. Some participants intern at CAANH, and others at nonprofits and companies the program partners with, including the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center. Many are offered full time employment following their internship.

Lawson said the Pathways grant allowed CAANH to increase the number of educational field trips and outings “to show women the opportunities available to them in our area” and to expand the reach of the program so that more women could take part. “Without their support I don’t think we would have been able to serve the additional women,” she said. “The Fund for Women & Girls has been a blessing to our organization. We’re in the business of changing folks’ lives and when you can see the impact in real time, it does your heart good.”

Mishanda Harper, a graduate of S.M.A.R.T, said it has had an incredible impact. “I was a single mother and I’d lost my job,” Harper said. “I was going through a lot. The very first workshop our instructor held was about change. She said that to turn things around you have to change your perspective and look for the positive. The positive for me was being able to be part of this program. I met wonderful single moms that I’m still friends with. I interned at CAANH and that opened up the door for me to go back to get my associate’s degree.” Harper is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in human services and social work at Albertus Magnus, and she started her own nonprofit, the Single Mom’s Alliance Inc. “That was the most important lesson I took from the S.M.A.R.T. program: there is something positive on the other side of this,” she said. “And there is.”

This story is part of the Winter 2023 edition of the Community Fund for Women & Girls' newsletter.