0977 Health Facilities Financing Authority
Program Descriptions

0890 - MENTAL HEALTH WELLNESS GRANTS

Chapter 34, Statutes of 2013, Welfare and Institutions Code section 5892 and 5848.5 et.seq., the Investment in Mental Health Wellness Act of 2013 (the "Act") and related legislation provides $142.5 million in General Fund and an additional $6.8 million in Mental Health Services Act ("MHSA") and federal funding for CHFFA to provide grants for community based mental health crisis support.

The Act established a new grant program to disburse funds to California counties or to their nonprofit or public agency designates for the purpose of developing mental health crisis support programs. Specifically, funds will "increase capacity for client assistance and services in crisis intervention, crisis stabilization, crisis residential treatment, rehabilitative mental health services, and mobile crisis support teams." CHFFA grants will support capital improvement, expansion and limited start-up costs.

CHFFA has adopted emergency regulations for this new grant program which addresses selection criteria, maximum grant amounts, and a process for awarding grants.

The CHFFA board approved 21 applications in the first funding round to potentially serve 28 counties totaling approximately $71.53 million of the General Fund money allocated to this program and $3.97 million in MHSA funding. The approved applications will add 809 crisis residential and crisis stabilization beds, 43 mobile crisis vehicles and approximately 58 mobile crisis staff statewide.