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Round 3: County Behavioral Health Agencies — Strategic Enhancements

Grantor:
Department of Health Care Services
Portal ID:
53427
Status:
Closed
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
 | 
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

This third round of Behavioral Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) Program funding will provide $265,000,000 to county behavioral health agencies (BHAs) for use in the expanded implementation of bridge housing services for Californians experiencing homelessness who have serious behavioral health conditions (a serious mental illness and/or substance use disorder). 

Description:

Through the Behavioral Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) Program, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will provide $1.5 billion in funding to operate bridge housing settings to address the immediate and sustainable housing needs of people experiencing homelessness who have serious behavioral health conditions, including a serious mental illness (SMI) and/or substance use disorder (SUD). The program, which was signed into law in September 2022 under Assembly Bill (AB) 179 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2022) and subsequently Senate Bill (SB) 101 (Skinner, Chapter 12, Statutes of 2023), provides funding through June 30, 2027. All BHBH Program funding is subject to any adjustments in budget development.

California has provided significant capital funding to create housing and treatment settings in recent years, including through programs such as Homekey, the Community Care Expansion program, and the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program. The BHBH Program is designed to complement these capital investments. In contrast to capital funding programs (listed above), the BHBH Program primarily provides operational and supportive services funding to expand bridge housing implementation.

The primary focus of the BHBH Program is to help people experiencing homelessness who have serious behavioral health conditions that prevent them from accessing help and moving out of homelessness. County behavioral health agencies (BHAs) applying for funding will be expected to clearly demonstrate how they will reach the historically underserved client populations that are most in need of supportive services.

This Round 3 Request for Applications (RFA) provides county BHAs an opportunity to apply for strategic enhancement funds to further meet the goals of the BHBH Program as described in the BHBH Program Round 1: County BHAs RFA (Round 1 RFA). Program requirements and background are described in that RFA. Through this RFA, county BHAs with BHBH programs can apply for additional funds for strategic enhancements and to meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness and serious behavioral health conditions.

DHCS has engaged Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP), a consulting and research firm focused on improving health and human services systems, to serve as administrative entity supporting the implementation of the BHBH Program and to provide general grant training and technical assistance (TTA) during the application process and throughout the life of the project. AHP has engaged with additional consultants to further support Program implementation.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Public Agency

BHBH Program funding is divided among multiple RFAs. This RFA is focused on the third round of funding, totaling $265,000,000, and is available to county BHAs that have accepted funding in the first round. To be eligible for this Round 3 funding, a county BHA must have an executed contract for BHBH Program funding for the first (noncompetitive) round prior to the April 10, 2024, Round 3 application due date. 

Eligible Geographies:

California county BHAs with a BHBH Program contract executed under the first round of funding prior to April 10, 2024 are eligible. County BHAs must serve individuals with serious behavioral health conditions, including SMI and/or SUD, who are experiencing homelessness. Counties are encouraged to consider the specific needs of populations that are historically more impacted by housing discrimination and homelessness.

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
July 2024
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
2024-2027

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$265,000,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • State

Funding Source Notes:

BHBH Program funding is divided among multiple RFAs. This RFA is focused on the third round of funding, totaling $265,000,000, and is available to county BHAs that have accepted funding in the first round. The program, which was signed into law in September 2022 under Assembly Bill (AB) 179 (Ting, Chapter 249, Statutes of 2022) and subsequently Senate Bill (SB) 101 (Skinner, Chapter 12, Statutes of 2023).

 

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Advances & Reimbursement(s)

Funding Method Notes:

Available maximum funding will be awarded for two tracks based on county size, as outlined in Table 1 - Funding Distribution, and in Attachment A. Eligible county BHAs may apply for funding through Track 1: BHBH Program Operations or both Track 1 and Track 2: Start-Up Infrastructure. To determine the funding caps in each track, DHCS assessed the project budgets proposed under the first round of funding, identifying an approximate project cost. 

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
Advocates for Human Potential, Inc., 1-323-545-6202, BHBHinfo@ahpnet.com

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