Community Emergency Operations Project

My name is Valencia Gunder, the CEO/founder of Smile Trust. I was born and raised in Miami in the heart of Liberty City, FL I earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural International Business at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) Tallahassee, Florida.  Despite a college degree,  I know how it feels not have a sense of purpose.  My brief brush with homelessness was enough for me to  know it wasn’t the life I desired. I too hit bottom and wound up not having an address.  That experience ignited a passion in me to advocate for the most vulnerable persons in society.  Miami is one of the most beautiful and diverse places in the world. However, amongst the beauty lies thousands of individuals and families who are ignored and stigmatized because they don't have an address.  Homelessness is not only poverty – it is exclusion from the life of a community. 

Homelessness!!  A man in the street begging for money, a women on the side of the road holding up a piece of cardboard saying “Homeless, Will Work for Food,” a family sleeping in their car, — all these images represent homelessness. Miami’s street population is climbing....it's home to the largest concentration of Miami-Dade’s homeless. The Smile Trust is dedicated to finding a solution to not only the homeless crisis but addressing disaster preparedness and homelessness. We launched the "Community Emergency Operations Project" a disaster and recovery  response system to tackle the urgent need to assist those most vulnerable  during a disaster/emergency. Implementing a strong preparedness, response, and recovery plan to adapt to a dynamic event while continuing to serve one of the most vulnerable populations by ensuring that they receive essential services such as meals, prescription medicine management, housing, and other basic necessities. "Invest in the homeless....Elevate Humanity!"

Homelessness is ultimately a varied and unique individual experience, produced by a mix of personal and external forces. A housed person has never will understand the plight  of a homeless person....They can’t relate! According to the National Coalition 2019 report for the Homeless.. the estimated total number of homeless people in the U.S.  is above 1 million. The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the depth and severity of the nation’s homelessness crisis. When governors and mayors delivered stay-at-home orders, many Americans—likely more than one million—had nowhere to go. Suddenly, the plight of those living on the streets became intimately linked to the well-being of everybody else as the nation sought to tamp down a contagion that targets the most vulnerable members of society.

At Smile Trust our projects are based on what we believe are to be  three components to healing homelessness: dignity, access and knowledge. we are now faced with a greater challenge as we are in the midst of hurricane season and a global pandemic. It is important to us that the population we serve are equipped with the tools and the resources needed to weather a disaster and pandemic all at the same time. 

In preparation for hurricane season in South Florida, our disaster preparedness and risk mitigation project is an integral part of preparing for the inevitable hurricanes that sweep the coast of Florida every year.              We institute a disaster relief outreach plan to meet the immediate and unique needs of the  homeless and at-risk populations. Smile Trust works to address and assess needs in our at-risk communities and prepare to offer initial relief, critical food, water, emergency supplies, and transportation before and after a hurricane.   In order to ensure that our target population needs are met pre/post hurricane disaster; we collaborate in good faith with our partner organizations to facilitate the psychological, social, and physical well-being of those we serve, while strengthening community capacity.          

The Smile Trust Outreach Team works closely with all local public/private agencies/organizations to effectively pool our resources to render the services needed before and after a disaster.  By community organizing, engagement activities, and outreach disaster preparedness/emergency planning we guarantee swift and deliberate deliver of services pre/post disaster. During the recovery/aftermath of an emergency/disaster we build the capacity to connect homeless disaster survivors with experienced service providers for follow-up care after their physical and psychological wellbeing has been safeguarded.

The Homeless and Low-income families often suffer disproportionately from disasters. They often lack adequate resources to prepare for and recover from disasters, such as the funds to board up their house, a car to evacuate, or a place to stay if they must leave their home.  With fewer assets, little insurance, and less diversified income sources, families that are already struggling can be pushed into destitution when disaster strikes. In many cases, low-income persons may experience greater social marginalization such as fewer options for safe shelter with friends and family during an evacuation due to their lack of social networks outside of their immediate neighborhood.  A population at greater risk during a disaster are “The Homeless.” In the midst of a hurricane, homeless individuals/families are found in places not meant for human habitation, such as cars, parks, sidewalks, abandoned buildings or on the street. 

We seek to reduce the vulnerability to Hurricane Disasters in marginalized communities.  Our primary focus within the low-income areas of Miami-Dade County is pre-disaster homeless populations.  People who are homeless have limited resources to evacuate, stockpile food, store medications and a shelter in place.  Smile Trust understands they are an extremely vulnerable part of the community.

The Smile Trust, "Community Emergency Operations Project," is about taking responsibility for a segment of the U.S population that is caught up in a push and pull of competing narratives as to who is responsible for the Homeless crisis.  We as a society aren't doing enough to solve the structural causes of homelessness—lack of affordable housing, wage stagnation, the wealth gap, institutional racism, and inadequate health and social services for people living in poverty. Our project takes a proactive approach to ensuring our homeless society remains safe during disasters and/or emergencies while we work to end homelessness. 

From mobilizing 500 volunteers to feed 23,000 families after Hurricane Irma devastated my hometown of Miami, Florida, in 2017, to grappling with solutions around intracommunity gun violence, I want nothing more than the underserved, most vulnerable populations to be healthy, thriving, and whole.

I am a native Miami girl of Bahamian decent. I grew up in Liberty City and became passionate about the problem of homelessness after I experienced it firsthand. I believes that homelessness is not only poverty, but also exclusion from the life of the community. I am focused on Dignity measures in Florida,  I have never stopped strategizing around new and effective ways to serve. This commitment led me to create Smile Trust Inc. (formerly known as “Make the Homeless Smile) an organization birthed from my own experience with being homeless back in 2009. 

Today, I am known within my community as the “Modern Day Fannie Lou Hamer,”(American voting and women's rights activist, community organizer, and a leader in the civil rights movement) an  awe-inspiring comparison that fills me with pride and a fierce determination to carry on Hamer’s legacy. I work with a committed team of volunteers who whole heartedly support my passion to serve!

I am a second-generation Bahamian who grew up in Liberty City became a notable Miami activist fighting for equitable black communities across the nation. I thrive off energy and power and, I am unafraid to take up space and assume a presence for the betterment of others. I was once homeless and I didn't have anywhere to go nor resources. I had to figure it out on my own.  My passion to serve and protect comes from the lack thereof. I always want to be in position to help those less fortunate. 

How can I fix the world and not fix my block first? I make sure I’m knee-deep here. My work means nothing if the people in Liberty City don’t know my name and can’t call on me for my services.

In 2017 with Hurricane Irma headed directly toward Miami, I created the Community Emergency Operations Center alongside my colleagues to respond to under-resourced communities. After the hurricane, My initiative resulted in the servicing of over 23,000 residents in the Miami Dade and South Broward counties. These noteworthy disaster relief efforts resulted in me being featured on the BET Hip Hop Awards.

Directly affected by the loss of my goddaughter, Jada Page, due to gun violence, I used my grief to band an entire community together. I am considered to be a fearless community leader who is not afraid to confront power. I  advocated for Mr. Charles Kinsey an unarmed caretaker of an autistic child who was shot by an police officer. To combat gun and police violence, I was the first Miamian to be awarded the Soros Justice Fellowship to complete my project, Living In Freedom Together, a rapid response toolkit to decrease gun and police violence.

As a member of the Executive Steering Committee of 100 Resilient Cities Greater Miami and the Beaches, I have been fighting alongside the residents of my community to guarantee they are treated fairly and never forgotten.

I have been featured on the Root: The Color of Climate and The Rundown with Robin Thede on BET on Climate Gentrification, and I have been honored by various organizations for my dedication and drive to transform our nation one community at a time. I am a Servant, I am an Change Agent!

"The Community Emergency Operations Project," is a crisis response project specifically designed to reach and serve homeless populations during disasters and emergencies. However, there have been many setbacks and obstacles in getting the resources needed to those populations due in part to the stereotypical narrative that is continually echoed in society." Despite the challenges we are obligated to meet the needs of our target population so we go around them by thinking outside the box, and we pool our resources to make a difference! 

First and foremost we have an amazing support staff comprised of dedicated volunteers that work tirelessly with local government and community-based organizations to get our issues resolved. We go door to door and call on the powers that be to step up...we call on media outlets to get our message across....we fight for proper treatment for the homeless.

The problem of homelessness is at the top of my list. And it should be the number one priority for everyone. Most of the issues we are facing in Miami, we are facing as a community. People cannot participate if they do not have a place to live or don’t know where their next meal will come from. 

I am known as Valencia “Vee” Gunder, a Miami native, I am  enthusiastic and driven Community Advocate and Organizer who has officially been branded as “Modern Day Fannie Lou”. As Founder of Smile Trust, Inc. a non-profit organization assisting many community-based organizations with a variety of fundraising efforts in South Florida to bring awareness to the many challenges faced in our urban communities. I serve my community tirelessly by engaging in grassroot partnerships  to ensure that a recognizable change is executed. Apart from my organizational involvement, I host and organize  many different civil/community initiatives representing change in and around our marginalized communities.

This year, I was instrumental to the passage of the Dignity For Incarcerated Women’s Act in my home state—legislation that ensures incarcerated women have access to free and unlimited personal hygiene products across all correctional facilities in the state, as well as prohibits male officers from conducting strip searches, cavity searches, and pat-downs of women, as long as they are not in danger of harming themselves or others.

My goal is to be of serve, to create change and be a voice for the voiceless.  I  lead by inspiring and giving hope to others each day!

The "Community Emergency Operations Project started out with  group of volunteers collecting donations and bartering resources to help the homeless during disasters and while in recovery mode. 

Today, through the support of corporate sponsors and local partners we are building in the heart of the urban community (Liberty City, FL) a 7,500 sq.ft emergency relief  command  center made out of shipping containers as part of  our organizations initiative to self-contain and stockpile all disaster relief supplies and the necessary resources available under one roof. 

The Community Emergency Operations Project immediate  is unique because we are focused on preventive methods to curtail the negative effects disasters have on the homeless populations; We provide Availability, Awareness, and Accessibility of critical services such as

 personal preparedness  communication  transportation and evacuation  sheltering  health status  transition to housing 

In emergency planning, the needs of homeless people are usually categorized within the needs of all “special populations.” Such general categorization typically fails to consider the unique needs of people who are homeless. Failing to explicitly include homelessness in definitions has also resulted in unintended consequences in which people who are homeless have been denied services. Our work counteracts the stereotypical approach and provides inclusion and seeks a systemic resolve.

Currently the Community Emergency Operations funds serve 23,000 people. By 2021 we will have served 100,000 people.  Within five years we will have directly impacted over 250,000 homeless populations. According to the National Institute for Homelessness there are over one million people living in homelessness in the United States today.  That is twenty-five percent of the U.S homeless population.  

Homelessness is a global problem which requires global attention. Getting an accurate picture of global homelessness is extremely challenging. Definitions of homelessness vary from country to country.  What we do know is that it is on the rise in most countries.  Our goals are not clearly defined on a global level but it is apart of our long-term goals to create impact and social change one community at a time.

Our partners provide specific resourses to assist in moving our initiative to the next level from being our financial supporters to political change agents for our homeless demographics.

Catalyst Miami, Southerners on New Ground,  Trans Inclusive Group, Miami Dade Street Response Team. The New Florida Majority, Florida Immigrant Coalitions, The Black Collective, The Miami Foundation, Black Tech Week, Diba Dreams, Ecotech Visions, Koncious Kontractors, Green Haven Project, New Era Detroit, Miami Dade NAACP, Movement 4 Black Lives, Gulf Coast Center for Policy & law, National Black Food and Justice Alliance, Highlander, Highlander Research and Education Center, Dream Defenders, The Circle of Brotherhood, Ladies of Hope Ministries, Power U, and the Miami Workers Center.

Our Nonprofit is appropriately viewed primarily as mission-driven organization. However, our evaluations of success focus on our impact in the communities we serve. Our Business Model has four Components:

1. Program

2. Infrastructure

3. Capital

4. Revenue

We serve communities that lack resources, information, and basic needs.  Our sustainability comes from private and public partnerships, corporate sponsorships/donors, and grants.

The Smile Trust thrives on partnerships. In order to provide ongoing systemic relief to the homelessness crisis during disasters/emergencies, we must engage in ongoing collaborations/partnerships.  This allows us to provide the necessary resources for disaster relief and recovery.