Direct Relief has always strongly believed in supporting our home community from addressing unmet dental health needs, to assisting the homeless, and providing personal-care products to low-income families.
The Healthy Smiles Dental Program
The Healthy Smiles Dental Program addresses the number one unmet health need in Santa Barbara County – oral health. Limited access to dental treatment is widespread among low-income families due to the high cost of insurance and the limited number of local dentists who accept reimbursement from publicly funded programs such as Denti-Cal. Since 1994, Direct Relief’s Healthy Smiles Dental Program has worked to bridge the growing gap of available oral health education, disease prevention services, and treatment for low-income children throughout Santa Barbara County.
The Healthy Smiles improves the oral health of low-income, uninsured and at-risk children and families in our community in collaboration with over 30 agencies, both public and private.
• In 2006, Direct Relief International’s Healthy Smiles has provided over 32,000 children and parents/caregivers with oral hygiene kits and bilingual oral health education.
• Healthy Smiles has provided free dental treatment to low-income, uninsured school age children with severe need. Sponsored by Healthy Smiles, one and two-day free clinics are hosted by local dentists and Healthy Start programs throughout Santa Barbara County. These are broadly cooperative community events. Volunteer dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants, and college students donate hundreds of hours in dental screenings, dental treatment, and bilingual oral health education, through these free dental clinics. Since 2002, Direct Relief has sponsored 12 clinics, serving over 300 children.
Personal Care Packs Program
In partnership with approximately 50 local charitable agencies serving homeless families, teen moms, homebound seniors, street kids, migrant farm workers, and many other people who need a helping hand, the Personal Care Packs Program’s purpose is to provide the most basic personal care items needed by everyone.
The Santa Barbara County Children’s Scorecard indicates that nearly one in five children (17 percent) under the age of 18 lives in poverty. Though real statistics are difficult to come by, homelessness in our county is a growing problem, especially among families with young children. This is primarily due to the high cost of housing; a median home in Santa Barbara now approaches $1 million while the median household income in our county is $46,667 (U.S. Census Bureau 2000).
Every year for over a decade, the Personal Care Pack Program serves approximately 14,000 homeless families, homebound or low-income seniors, children from low-income families, and many other individuals in need in Santa Barbara County.