Welcome to
The LEAD Project

The LEAD Project (Lived Experience Advocacy Development) aims to become part of a greater systems change and emerge as a critical link for policy-makers on mental health services in Santa Barbara County and the State of California. All LEAD members are individuals with lived experience that includes some or all of the following: mental illness, addiction, homelessness, and recovery. Due to our lived experience, LEAD members educate, advocate, and seek to reduce the stigma of living with mental illness by giving a face and story to people who cannot speak for themselves.