"We’re all just human, and we all just need a little bit of help sometimes," says Lauren Beltran, Doctors Without Walls case worker.
Beltran knows firsthand what it's like to be homeless.
"A lot of my clients know me. They know me from the streets, so the fact that they're able to see me and where I'm at right now, you know, might give them a little bit of comfort to be able to do the same," Beltran said.
Beltran is one of eight or more weekly street team members providing food, clothes, toiletries, and medical care to the homeless in Santa Barbara.
"Maybe the first time they don't trust us with their medical needs, but maybe the fourth time we see them they're like, 'Hey, like, what else do you guys offer?'" explains Majd Bakdounes, Doctors Without Walls data coordinator.
Doctors, nurses, medical students, and volunteers equipped with backpacks carry medications, wound care, and other essential items into areas frequented by the homeless.
In just one hour on Tuesday, the team found one woman who needed wound care for her thumb after falling off her bike, and another person needing medication for a persistent chest cold and cough. Each time, the team stepped up to help.
"45% to 50% are local, born and raised in Santa Barbara, are homeless," says Lynn Matis, Doctors Without Walls first line supervisor.
The 2024 Point-In-Time count shows a 12% increase in homelessness in Santa Barbara County since 2020 for a total of 2,119 people now living on the streets.
"Most of our population, a whole lot, is over 60. So they're starting to have things like high blood pressure and high cholesterol," Matis explains.
Matis says the non-profit street team serves around 1,000 people a year.
"The fact that we're able to just be good to some of these people, it means a lot to them," Beltran says.
For Beltran, helping just one person would be worth the effort.
"This is what life's about," Beltran says.
To volunteer or donate, visit theSanta Barbara Street Team's website.
