Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program & Community Care Expansion

Greetings from Antoinette Carter, Chair of CASRA’s Public Policy Committee and Interim Executive Director of Consumer Self Help Center and Chad Costello, Executive Director of CASRA…

As you may be aware, California’s ’21-’22 budget contained historic investments in behavioral health including $2.1B for infrastructure and $805M targeted at ARFs and RCFEs. The Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) and the Community Care Expansion Program (CCE) make funds available to counties, tribes, non-profit organizations and others to build, acquire, rehabilitate, and in limited ways, operate a wide range of infrastructure projects.

Although the two projects operate under the authority of two different departments, BHCIP under DHCS and CCE under DSS, they have partnered to create a joint RFA, which was released on January 31st. Non-profit organizations, including CASRA organizations are eligible to apply for the current round of BHCIP funding and/or CCE funding. There will be future rounds of BHCIP funding spread out over the coming months, while CCE applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the funds have been exhausted.

DHCS and CSS (or more specifically, their subcontractor, Advocates for Human Potential), held a 1.25-hour webinar on February 10th focused on the RFA that some of you may have attended (there were 1,500 people on the Zoom). Both Antoinette and I agree that the webinar is well worth your time to understand the potential of both opportunities, which can also be combined with one another in some creative ways. Although some organizations may not currently have “launch ready” projects as required for the current round of BHCIP funding, taking a look now will allow organizations to know what’s involved and how to be prepared for future rounds of funding for projects that are not as far along in the planning/development process.

CASRA has been working hard behind the scenes to make sure that both funding opportunities offer the widest range of opportunities for member agencies and those we serve. Both represent once in a lifetime investments on the part of California in the public mental health system. We know you are exceptionally busy and appreciate you and your staff’s responses to the numerous requests for information that have been sent your way over the past several months. There will be more of those asks in the near future – as there is much policy to shape. The BHCIP and CCE are tangible results of years of advocacy work. We can think of no better stewards of those efforts than CASRA organizations.