Curt Smith Biography

As the Housing Development Director for the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS), his most recent activities have focused on developing affordable housing in Detroit, Michigan for homeless families with children.

In addition, Mr. Smith’s other experiences include serving as the Acting Director for the Department of Community and Economic Development for the City of Highland Park, Michigan, and as a community planner with the Boston, Massachusetts based, urban planning consulting firm, Capital Needs Unlimited. Both of these positions focused on developing affordable housing in the metropolitan Detroit area.

Mr. Smith has a broad range of community development experiences from hands on involvement with activities such as homeownership program creation and implementation, community planning, community development, federal grants administration, residential demolition, land use planning and zoning, public housing revitalization, coordinating homeless programs and involvement with social enterprise and social ventures.

Mr. Smith has also worked as a consultant on public housing related projects with the Saginaw (Michigan) Housing Commission, City of Pittsburgh Housing Authority, Kansas City Kansas Housing Authority and the Jackson (Tennessee) Housing Authority.

Mr. Smith is active in community-based mentoring efforts and is the co-founder and program director of the Anointed Men of God Male Mentoring Program in Detroit, Michigan. Further, Mr. Smith recently served as an associate producer for a social justice documentary film entitled, The Water Front. This film chronicles a successful community led opposition to a local government water privatization attempt in the city of Highland Park, Michigan.

Mr. Smith is a graduate of the University of Michigan, having received a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (Economic Development) and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. Mr. Smith also graduated from Notre Dame International High School in Rome, Italy.

Mr. Smith is married to Audrey and has two children, thirteen year old Naomi and ten year old Joseph Smith.