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Behavioral Health and
Recovery Services is pleased to announce that the Mental Health
Services Act (MHSA) Housing Application Project Overview and
Supportive Services Plan-Coolidge Avenue is available for 30-day
public review and comment beginning June 19, 2008. These planning
documents can be viewed and printed by clicking
here or you may request a copy by calling BHRS MHSA Planning
Office at (209) 525-6247, or by writing: Stanislaus County
Behavioral Health and Recovery Services - MHSA 800 Scenic Drive
Modesto, CA 95350
Background
For the past year or
so California Mental Health Director’s Association (CMHDA) has been
working collaboratively with the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA)
and the state Department of Mental Health (DMH) to develop an MHSA
Housing Program that fulfills our shared goal of developing a
significant increase in supportive housing for our communities. As a
result of this unique partnership, CalHFA will administer the MSHA
Housing Program on a statewide basis. Planning estimates will be
transferred by DMH on behalf of the County to CalHFA. Counties will
execute an Assignment Letter agreeing to the transfer of the funds
on their behalf. CalHFA will hold the funds and invest the funds.
The County may access the funds through submission and approval of
an MHSA Housing Program Application. DMH and CalHFA have joint
approval of all projects.
MHSA
Housing Program applications are considered updates to a county’s
Community Services and Supports (CSS) Three-Year Program and
Expenditure Plan. Housing Program Projects must be designed with the
goal of establishing and/or strengthening partnerships that result
in development of housing that reflects local priorities, and
expands safe, affordable housing options for individuals with
serious mental illness or youth with serious emotional disturbance
and their families. Each supported housing project must have a
Supportive Services Plan that describes the approach to providing
ongoing supportive services to the occupants of the housing.
Stanislaus County
Behavioral Health and Recovery Services has an established history
of collaboration with key community partners in the development of
supported housing since 1997 when Garvey House was established.
Discussions are ongoing with local partners to continuously
investigate opportunities for funding and suitable properties for
development into supported housing sites. This history of
collaboration combined with stakeholder input, obtained during
initial CSS Community Planning Process that addressed unmet housing
need for all age groups, will be utilized in developing permanent
supportive housing through the MHSA Housing Program.
Public review and
comment of proposed supported housing projects will take place prior
to submission of the MHSA Housing application to DMH and CalHFA. No
public hearing is required. Two different projects ideas are in
preliminary development and hopefully will result in submission of
applications in 2008. To complete a project, funds will need to be
leveraged with other forms of financing, the total amount of the
MHSA Housing planning estimate for Stanislaus County is $4.8
million.
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