Community Development Block Grant Help Funds TFC Dental Clinics

In 2004, Hamilton County began receiving Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. CDBG funds may be used for housing, economic development, public infrastructure and public services in its local communities. Programs and projects must benefit low to moderate-income households, individuals or neighborhoods with high percentage of low to moderate-income residents.

The Trinity Free Clinic (TFC) is blessed to be an organization that has receives funding from CDBG. From 2016-2018 Trinity received $45,891 in grant money to continue to provide free dental services to Hamilton County residents. Most recently, CDBG agreed to provide the Trinity Free Clinic a $40,000 grant for October 2018 through September 2019. Trinity received its first increment of $8,405.34 in March. 

The Trinity Free Clinic is dedicated to serving the low-income, uninsured, or underinsured workers and their families of Hamilton County. In 2018, Trinity treated 955 dental patients in 1,520 dental visits. This year, TFC has expanded their partnership with the IU School of Dentistry. The IU Dental School has increased its rotations from 1 day a week to 2.5. Because of this expansion, Trinity anticipates having more dental patients and dental visits in 2019. 

A dental patient recently wrote the clinic “I am so thankful for the work you’re doing on my mouth. The headaches are almost gone and hopefully my mouth won’t be sore when I eat. My mouth was in bad shape. I know now not to be my own dentist, to leave it to the people who know what they are doing.”

The Trinity Free Clinic is grateful for CDBG and their constant support of the clinic. Trinity would not be able to expand their services or provide free dental care without funds from grant programs like CDBG.