California: Governor Newsom announces $133 million for behavioral health bridge housing, emphasizes tools already available to counties
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Jul 30, 2024

Governor Newsom announces $133 million for behavioral health bridge housing, emphasizes tools already available to counties

What you need to know: Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that his administration is awarding nearly $133 million for behavioral health bridge housing to provide rapid housing for people with behavioral health illness living on the street so they can safely stabilize before beginning the next steps to recovery. He also urged counties to use the various other tools at their disposal, including CARE Courts and conservatorship reform.

Sacramento, California – Today, Governor Gavin Newsom announced that his administration is awarding $132.5 million to 10 county behavioral health agencies under the Department of Health Care Services' Behavioral Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) Program. This funding enables counties to provide temporary, safe housing and essential support for people transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing. Bridge housing is a crucial component of addressing the urgent needs of Californians experiencing homelessness who have serious mental health or substance use disorder treatment needs by providing a temporary place to safely start their recovery journey.

The BHBH program is just one tool available to counties as they work to support the most sick and vulnerable in our state. Over the weekend, Governor Newsom urged the Chairs of California's Boards of Supervisors to implement conservatorship reform, the first update to the state's conservatorship laws in over 50 years. In addition, the new Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Act, also known as the CARE Court program, is already being implemented in nine counties, and statewide later this year, and is helping to hold counties and people with untreated psychosis accountable for care plans, and empower families and others to petition for help.

"Bridge behavioral health housing is a crucial component of our larger work to meet the needs of Californians experiencing homelessness who have serious mental health or substance use disorder treatment needs and require urgent housing to stabilize and recover. But it's also just a piece of the puzzle for solving our homelessness and behavioral health crises – that's why our counties must step up and implement conservatorship reform and the CARE Court program. My administration continues to provide local governments with the tools to tackle this crisis head on – the time for action is now."

Governor Gavin Newsom

Details on today's awards

DHCS is partnering with county behavioral health agencies to offer the BHBH Program. County behavioral health agencies that had a signed contract for the first round of BHBH Program funding on or before April 10, 2024 were eligible to apply for an additional round of funding to implement bridge housing services for Californians experiencing homelessness who have serious behavioral health conditions. In Round 1, DHCS awarded more than $900 million to county behavioral health agencies to provide support through bridge housing settings, including tiny homes, interim housing, rental assistance models, and assisted living settings. With today's funding, counties will expand rental assistance programs, establish housing to address the needs of people exiting incarceration, expand interim housing, and build on other program components, such as landlord engagement.

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About the BHBH program

Today's awards to counties build upon last year's $900 million allocation to counties and tribal entities. The Request for Applications was released in January 2024, offering two tracks: either operational funding or operational and infrastructure funding. These awards will significantly enhance local efforts to provide immediate housing and support for individuals with serious behavioral health conditions by bolstering the development of tiny homes, interim housing, rental assistance programs, and other housing models, which will include access to behavioral health and housing navigation services to connect BHBH Program participants to long-term housing. To see a list of the counties awarded, visit the BHBH Program website.

About conservatorship reform

Conservatorship is a last resort to help connect people with serious behavioral health care needs with the resources and support to protect them and others. Conservatorship can help break the cycle of repeated crises including arrest and imprisonment, psychiatric hospitalization, homelessness, and even premature death – and instead provide the care that can help restore mental health and end the conservatorship. Legislation Governor Newsom signed updated eligibility for conservatorships to include people who are unable to provide for their personal safety or necessary medical care, or have a severe substance use disorder, such as chronic alcoholism, and, as a result, are unable to provide for their basic personal needs, and no longer requires a co-occuring mental health disorder. The new law also created the first-ever meaningful transparency into data and equity on mental health conservatorships.

About CARE Courts

CARE Court connects a person struggling with untreated psychosis – and often also substance use challenges – with a court-ordered Care Plan for up to 24 months. Each plan is managed by a care team in the community and can include clinically prescribed, individualized interventions with several supportive services, medication, and a housing plan. The client-centered approach also includes an attorney and supporter to help make self-directed care decisions in addition to their full clinical team.

Bigger picture

The BHBH Program builds upon the California Health & Human Services Agency's Guiding Principles and Strategic Priorities and contributes to the California Interagency Council on Homelessness' Action Plan for Preventing and Ending Homelessness in California. This initiative aligns with Governor Gavin Newsom's broader efforts to address the mental health, opioid, and homelessness crises in the state. In March, voters passed Proposition 1, transformational mental health legislation. The law includes two parts: a $6.4 billion Behavioral Health Bond for treatment settings and housing with services, and historic reform of the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) to focus on people with the most serious illnesses, substance disorders, and housing needs.

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