Tuesday, August 19, 2025
People experiencing homelessness get toothaches and other dental problems just like everyone else. But unlike most others, they lack the money to see a dentist. But luckily for guests of The Lamb Center (TLC) in Fairfax City, they can get the care they need there.
The center is a daytime, drop-in shelter offering meals, showers, clothing, laundry services, housing searches, plus recovery and employment counseling to poor and unhoused people. And while it provided onsite dental care previously, the facility was in serious need of an upgrade.
Now, though, thanks to two generous grants, it’s been renovated into a top-notch dental clinic. And on July 18, its volunteer dentists plus Lamb Center personnel gathered there to celebrate the clinic’s grand re-opening.
“Oral health is essential to overall health; and for our guests, this care is often out of reach,” said TLC Executive Director Tara Ruszkowski. “This space offers more than cleanings and procedures – it restores dignity and wellness. It’s an answer to prayer and an act of justice.”
The idea of a dental clinic there initially took shape years ago when former TLC board member Sharon Jones brought up the possibility. And it later became a reality when Dr. Joe Grieco signed up to become the center’s first volunteer dentist.
“It began with portable equipment, comparable to overseas mission tools,” said TLC spokeswoman Ashley Bell. “But this clinic has now become a fixed and modern dental suite – built not only with funding but with prayer, perseverance and partnerships. It’s a critical resource that will provide compassionate, comprehensive dental health care to hundreds of vulnerable local people who are experiencing homelessness or housing instability.”
The new clinic, made possible by grants and community partnerships, represents a significant leap forward in both equipment and dignity-centered care. With a $35,000 grant from Fairfax City’s Nonprofit Grant Program and a $25,000 grant from the Inova Community Health Fund, said Bell, “The previously outdated dental setup has been transformed into a fully equipped, state-of-the-art facility that mirrors any private dental office in the region.”
Dr. Samuel Ham, another volunteer dentist at The Lamb Center, played a hands-on role in the clinic’s renovation, overseeing much of the construction and installation himself. “Everything we can do in a private dental practice, we can now do here,” he said. “Our guests deserve the same quality of care as anyone else in Fairfax County.”
The newly modernized clinic will provide eligible Lamb Center guests with a wide array of comprehensive services. The procedures offered include preventative care, fillings, extractions, root canals, gum treatments and dentures.
During the dedication ceremony, TLC Pastoral Director Dave Larrabee and Intern Chaplain Chris Elenbaum offered blessings, quoting Proverbs and Matthew to affirm the clinic as a “house built on the rock” and a space filled with “rare and beautiful treasures” for those who serve and are served.
This dental clinic is one of the few low-barrier, walk-in, dental services in Northern Virginia specifically intended to serve people who are unhoused or uninsured, all at no cost to them. And according to Fairfax City Human Services Director Lesley Abashian, who attended the ceremony, it fulfills a vitally important need.
Said Abashian, “In a time when healthcare access is being debated, this clinic stands as an answer to the question: Who deserves care? Everyone.”