2018-318-E DSS - Diaper Bank of NC

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DocuSign Envelope ID: C4A8ABA9- 961E- 4297- 82F0- 5B1739260CFF Human Services Needs Assessment, Orange County BOCC Goals and Priorities, Town of Chapel Hill Council Goals, Carrboro Board Priorities, or other community priorities (i.e. Council /Board Goals). Reference local data (using the provided links, i.e. Chapel Hill Human Services Needs Assessment) to support the need for this program. Poverty among North Carolina parents has persisted despite the national economic recovery, with Orange County, Chapel Hill and Carrboro as no exception. In 2015 Orange County Health Department reported over 4,500 children living in poverty, an increase of over 7.4% in 3 years. Specifically, within Chapel Hill and Carrboro, the Chapel Hill- Carrboro Chamber of Commerce reporter} the percentage of "economically disadvantaged" children is at 26.5 percent —the highest since 2006. Many of these children are likely to be diaper users without access to an adequate supply of clean, dry diapers. There is currently no other agency working in Orange County dedicated to addressing the problem of diaper need for these thousands of children living in poverty, making the Diaper Bank of North Carolina a unique service for the community. DBNC's work directly impacts healthcare and family resources, two areas referenced by the Chapel Hill Human Services Needs Assessment. Diapers can cost families $100 per child each month, a substantial cost for low - income families. When families are unable to change a child's diaper as often as recommended, children are more susceptible to skin and urinary tract infections. Children uncomfortable from wearing a soiled diaper for as long as an entire day cry more often, are fussier, and wake more frequently at night, disrupting healthy sleep patterns and increasing parental stress. This additional stress presents one more challenge for parents struggling to make ends meet. The success of our program is measured not only by the number of diapers we distribute to families in need each month, but also by outcomes families experience from receiving diapers. We surveyed 246 diaper recipient families this winter and learned that due to assistance received from the diaper bank, children were happier (33 %) and healthier (33%) and parents experienced a reduction in their own stress (44 %). In addition to physical and emotional health benefits, having diapers enabled families to utilize daycare (18 %), attend work (10%), purchase food (45 %), look for work (8 %), attend school or job training (6 %), pay bills (39 %), purchase other nonfood essential items such as soap, toothpaste, or toilet paper (31 %), and save money for future expenses (32%). According to the Orange County BOCC, a top goal is to ensure a community network of basic human services and infrastructure that maintains, protects, and promotes the well -being of all county residents. Similarly, the Chapel Hill Human Services Needs Assessment identified the need for integrated coordination and communication. DBNC's work fits solidly within this goal, not only in providing a basic human need, but also in using diapers as a gateway to families receiving other support services. Our 2017 paper published in the peer - reviewed journal Child and Youth Services Review, documents the benefits our partner agencies experience as a result of distributing products from the diaper bank. Our findings revealed that before their partnerships with us, agencies had limited means for providing hygiene products for their clients. Some agencies could provide products only when they were donated, others had to divert limited program funds to purchase diapers at the expense of another need, and others were not able to provide products at all. Multiple agency staff members reported using money from their own pockets to buy PROGRAM INFORMATION 2/1212018 7:53:03 PM Page 17 of 28