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True North Behavioral Health BHCIP Proposal
In March 2024, California voters approved Proposition 1, which includes Senate Bill 326 (establishing the Behavioral Health Services Act) and Assembly Bill 531 (establishing the Behavioral Health Bond for expanding behavioral health infrastructure and permanent supportive housing), dedicating a total of $6.4 billion to mental health and substance use disorder services in the State of California.
Under AB 531, the bond funding for behavioral health infrastructure is an expansion of California’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Plan (BHCIP), which began in 2021 with an initial $2.2 billion investment.
Proposition 1 expanded BHCIP funding into two additional rounds, beyond the original five which began in 2021:
✔ Round 1: Shovel-Ready Projects – Applications were due in December 2024, with four local applications submitted. Award announcements are expected in Spring of 2026.
✔ Round 2: Unmet Needs – We anticipate this to be the final funding round representing possibly our last opportunity to secure these funds. The grant application was released in May 2025 and was due in September 2025.
Our entire initiative is focused on securing funding for the rural north state through BHCIP Round 2: Unmet Needs.
BHCIP Round 2: Unmet Needs is designed to address critical gaps in behavioral health services. These needs are being identified through ongoing stakeholder and community engagement meetings that began in January of 2025, as well as a thorough analysis of existing community assessments and public input.
A coalition of stakeholders and frontline leaders in healthcare, behavioral health, law enforcement, and social services are working together to secure our region’s share of these critical resources.
Why This Matters:
Under AB 531, the bond funding for behavioral health infrastructure is an expansion of California’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Plan (BHCIP), which began in 2021 with an initial $2.2 billion investment.
Proposition 1 expanded BHCIP funding into two additional rounds, beyond the original five which began in 2021:
✔ Round 1: Shovel-Ready Projects – Applications were due in December 2024, with four local applications submitted. Award announcements are expected in Spring of 2026.
✔ Round 2: Unmet Needs – We anticipate this to be the final funding round representing possibly our last opportunity to secure these funds. The grant application was released in May 2025 and was due in September 2025.
Our entire initiative is focused on securing funding for the rural north state through BHCIP Round 2: Unmet Needs.
BHCIP Round 2: Unmet Needs is designed to address critical gaps in behavioral health services. These needs are being identified through ongoing stakeholder and community engagement meetings that began in January of 2025, as well as a thorough analysis of existing community assessments and public input.
A coalition of stakeholders and frontline leaders in healthcare, behavioral health, law enforcement, and social services are working together to secure our region’s share of these critical resources.
Why This Matters:
- Emergency departments are overwhelmed. Patients experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis often default to the emergency room, leading to longer wait times for all patients and straining hospital resources. Even after being medically stabilized, many individuals remain in the ER for days or even weeks due to a lack of available step-down care options.
- Law enforcement and social services are overburdened. Patrol officers, jails, and county social workers have become the default response to mental health crises, stretching resources beyond capacity.
- Families struggle to find help. Treatment options are limited, forcing people into cycles of crisis and homelessness.
