The St. Martin, Iberia, Lafayette Community Action Agency, Inc., or SMILE (as it is widely known by its popular acronym), serves as the primary provider of social services in a tri-parish region. Chartered as a 501 (c)(3), tax-exempt corporation in 1968, the Agency is headquartered in Lafayette. This year, the Agency celebrates its 45th anniversary.
The Agency’s motto, "People Helping People," stems from the Economic Opportunity Act’s goal to uplift the nation’s disadvantaged, and to assist them in obtaining self-sufficiency.
The Agency includes parish Community Action Centers, or CACs, which provide a vast array of supportive services to promote independent living. Through case management, the Agency assists the disadvantaged to become more self-sufficient.