The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors approved the allocation of $44 million over three years in Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funds to expand countywide programs and services for individuals with serious mental illness who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Staff within the County’s Department of Health and Human Services will begin the process by engaging with the MHSA Steering Committee in the stakeholder input process to develop this revision to the existing plan, as required by MHSA law.
“Yesterday’s action is important for several reasons, but mostly because it allocates additional Mental Health Services Act resources to assist individuals across the County who are homeless and coping with serious mental illness,” said Sacramento County Board Chairman Don Nottoli, Supervisor for District 5. “This is one of many steps we have taken to address issues related to helping people overcome homelessness in our local communities.”
In addition to the mental health funding, the County is also pursuing the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System Waiver with the State. The waiver will increase availability of substance use disorder treatment to meet the needs of the homeless population.
Staff from the County’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will bring that item before the Board for consideration later in the fiscal year.
- MHSA funds available to the County are generally spent within the designated timeframe (usually three years), and there is no accumulating balance of aging funds.
- There is no reversion risk in the MHSA Community Services and Supports (CSS) fund, which funds treatment programs that meet the needs of severely mentally ill homeless individuals.
- Funds within two other components, the Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) and Innovation (INN) have approximately $8.4 million at risk of reversion. Plans for a new project are under development and will address the reversion risk in INN. Plans to address PEI funding at risk of reversion will also be expedited to address the issue.
- Projections indicate that MHSA programs will have an operating deficit in FY 2018-19 and beyond, resulting in significant reductions in unspent funds each year through 2022-23.
The County spends more than $40 million annually addressing homeless issues, as well as an additional $7.4 million each year on
new homeless initiatives.
R
ead the full MHSA report here.
