July 8, 2021

Behavioral Health Leaders Applaud Governor Newsom's Historic Investment in Behavioral Health with 2021-22 Budget

SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies (CBHA) and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association (CBHDA) applaud the Legislature and the Governor for prioritizing the state's recovery from a tsunami of behavioral health needs coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic with a spending plan that dedicates more than $5 billion of new investments in behavioral health.

"While the stay-at-home order has been lifted, providers continue to address the impact of the pandemic on the behavioral health of our communities," said Le Ondra Clark Harvey, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of CBHA. "This historic budget represents the state meeting the moment by speaking to the immense needs of the behavioral health delivery system. We're grateful to Governor Newsom for his investment and support of behavioral health providers with this much-needed funding to address the long-term effects of the pandemic on our provider agencies and the clients they serve. These dollars will prove to be an important investment in statewide issues including youth behavioral health interventions, substance use disorder treatment, and homelessness."

Over the past year, our state and country grappled with the individual and collective traumas of the COVID-19 pandemic and national reckoning on racial injustice. The 2021-22 budget provides a multi-billion-dollar investment in the state's behavioral health safety net through the Governor's Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiatives, Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure, Foster Care & Child Welfare, and Social Services Housing and Homelessness Programs.

Specifically, we laud the Administration for funding the following investments:

  • More than $2.2 billion for grants to construct, acquire, and rehabilitate new facilities to expand the community continuum of behavioral health treatment resources.

  • More than $4.4 billion over five years to create a new and innovative behavioral health system for youth ages 0 to 25.

  • Almost $800 million to expand the behavioral health workforce.

  • $205 million in state and federal funds for the Mental Health Student Services Act program.

  • $429 million in federal funding to the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) for evidence-based behavioral health programs.

  • $222 million in one-time funding to strengthen county prevention efforts to avoid youth entering the foster care system and $138 million in one-time funding to help address the complex needs of foster youth as an alternative to out-of-state placements.

  • $805 million for the Community Care Expansion program under the Department of Social Services to address the lack of board and cares for individuals living on Social Security Income, including those with mental illnesses.

  • $63.1 million in one-time funding to support the California Reducing Disparities Project under the California Department of Public Health.

These dollars and additional resources will help the state recover and address the gaps for accessing critical behavioral health services. As Californians begin returning to work, school, and life in the community, we commend the Administration for its commitment to creating a system of care that improves the health of our communities. We look forward to partnering with the state to implement the new programs and funding to address the behavioral health needs of our communities.

"Never before have we seen the State of California make such a profound and ongoing commitment to our state's mental health and substance use disorder needs," said Michelle Doty Cabrera, Executive Director of CBHDA. "Our behavioral health leaders and advocates have worked hard in the face of immense challenges this past year to extend help to Californians in need. With this budget, the Governor and the Legislature, in turn, extend help to our safety net for behavioral health. This is an investment that will be felt for generations to come."

California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies (CBHA) is a statewide association of non-profit community-based organizations who provide mental health, substance use, housing, education, and vocational rehabilitation services to over 750,000 children, youth, adults, and older adults in California. 

The County Behavioral Health Directors Association is a statewide non-profit association that represents all 58 county behavioral health directors and two city mental health programs (Berkeley and Tri-City) which is dedicated to advocating for public policy and services on behalf of people who are living with substance use disorders and mental illness.