By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–County supervisors on Tuesday approved the region’s first Behavioral Health Services Act Integrated Plan, establishing a three-year framework for investing in mental health care, substance use treatment and housing services for residents with serious behavioral health needs.
The plan comes in response to Proposition 1, approved by California voters in 2024, which replaced the former Mental Health Services Act with the Behavioral Health Services Act. The new law changes how counties may allocate state behavioral health funding and requires every county to develop a three-year spending plan outlining local priorities and funding distribution.
County officials spent the past year gathering public input to help shape the plan, conducting more than 100 listening sessions and collecting feedback from over 1,900 residents and 280 organizations. Community members consistently identified several priorities, including faster access to behavioral health services, stronger support for youth, culturally responsive care, alternatives to law enforcement-based crisis response and improved navigation of the behavioral health system.
“The feedback we received from our community stakeholders has been vital in shaping our first BHSA Integrated Plan,” said Nadia Privara Brahms, director of County Behavioral Health Services. “The plan reflects the ideas shared with us, integrating things like early intervention services, additional navigation support and culturally responsive programming.”
According to the county, the first-year plan includes reporting on all behavioral health funding sources and allocates a $329 million BHSA budget. The funding is expected to support more than 52,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries annually, including over 15,000 children, youth and young adults. The plan also provides housing assistance to nearly 19,000 individuals.
The Integrated Plan focuses on three primary funding areas:
Behavioral Health Support Services, which fund crisis care, outpatient treatment and early intervention programs. More than half of this funding is dedicated to early intervention efforts, with a significant portion reserved for individuals under age 25.
Full-Service Partnership Programs, which provide intensive, team-based services for individuals with complex behavioral health needs.
Housing Interventions, which support short-term housing, recovery residences, board-and-care facilities and permanent supportive housing. State requirements mandate that half of these funds be directed toward individuals experiencing chronic homelessness.
With board approval secured, county officials will submit the BHSA Integrated Plan to the state and begin implementation on July 1. The county says the plan is designed to strengthen behavioral health services while expanding housing and support options for some of the region’s most vulnerable residents.
