This week, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
announced a second batch of awards for the first round of the
Behavioral
Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) Program. The awards announced
this week total $119.5 million to 12 counties, bringing the
overall awards to date of the BHBH Program to $897.1 million of
the nearly $907 million available for the first round.
Established through a 2022
budget bill, the BHBH Program will provide a total of $1.5
billion in funding to county behavioral health agencies and
tribal entities to operate bridge housing settings to address the
needs of people experiencing homelessness with serious behavioral
health conditions, including serious mental illness and/or
substance use disorder. In June, DHCS announced the initial round
one awards to
39 counties totaling over $777 million. The additional 12
counties awarded funds this week will be posted on the
BHBH website soon.
The second round of the BHBH program is currently open for tribal
entities only. Additional information on rounds three and four of
the BHBH program, which will be open to county behavioral health
agencies and tribal entities, will be posted on the BHBH website this
fall.
