Gov. Gavin Newsom is about to announce Tuesday that the state will make $3.3 billion in funding out there by July to start constructing inpatient and outpatient psychological well being therapy facilities as a part of an enormous effort to rework California’s psychological well being system and tackle the homelessness disaster.
The cash is the primary tranche of a $6.4-billion bond approved by voters after they narrowly approved Proposition 1 in March.
Newsom plans to journey to a brand new facility in San Mateo County to make the announcement — to underscore, his workplace mentioned, what number of extra such amenities are wanted and the way his hard-fought psychological well being measure can rework look after Californians.
Newsom has framed Proposition 1 as an important a part of the state’s technique to handle the homelessness disaster. The plan features a controversial push to compel folks with extreme psychological sickness and substance issues into care. With the bond funding, it additionally makes billions of {dollars} out there to construct extra beds and housing for therapy.
When the proposition handed, Newsom hailed it as “the most important change in many years in how California tackles homelessness, and a victory for doing issues radically totally different.” He added that “this historic reform will solely succeed if all of us kick into motion instantly — state authorities and native leaders, collectively.”
This week, his employees mentioned the governor was doing his half: This primary spherical of funding wasn’t promised till the autumn.
Along with spearheading the development or rehabilitation of greater than 10,000 therapy beds and over 45,000 outpatient therapy slots, Proposition 1 reforms California’s 20-year-old Mental Health Services Act to enhance care and help for folks with critical psychological well being points. It additionally expands the standards for the detention, therapy and conservatorship of individuals with extreme psychological sickness — an effort that was strenuously opposed by some civil liberties advocates.
The pot of cash out there for challenge purposes in July is particularly earmarked to construct or refurbish therapy facilities and clinics. Counties, cities, tribes, nonprofits and for-profit firms will all be eligible to use for funding.
To qualify, building initiatives should have help from their county psychological well being division, and so they should decide to treating sufferers with Medi-Cal in addition to personal insurance coverage.
All initiatives are required to place up matching funds or collateral. That might embody land or a constructing, in addition to a funding stream, reminiscent of a pledge from a healthcare supplier to ship sufferers there or from the opioid settlement, wherein pharmaecuetical firms and distributors are paying the state tens of millions to assist tackle the harms of the epidemic of habit.
As soon as grant purposes arrive, officers mentioned they may very well be permitted inside three months, that means cash may very well be distributed across the finish of the 12 months.
Later within the 12 months, officers mentioned they deliberate to open a brand new spherical of grants to construct and rehabilitate greater than 13,000 everlasting supportive housing models.
Then, subsequent 12 months, officers will open one other $1 billion to help extra buildings or applications, they mentioned.
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