​​Round 4: Children and Youth FAQ

BHCIP PFAs require execution of a Declaration of Restrictions (DoR) and Performance Deed of Trust (PDoT) before a sponsor can begin to draw down awarded grant funds. The DoR and PDoT will encumber the entire property where the BHCIP project is located. The following options may be considered by sponsors in instances when the sponsor does not wish to impose certain restrictions on the property as a whole: A) Non-county entity project sponsor options: (1) Execute the PFA and supporting documents as they are written, encumbering the entire property, and then work with DHCS/AHP to subdivide the property/obtain a lot line adjustment and amend the DoR and DoT once the subdivision/lot line adjustment is complete. B) County entity project sponsor options: Same options as non-county sponsors with the exception that county entity BHCIP projects may utilize a legal description for the portion of the property to be funded by BHCIP in lieu of a lot line adjustment. This legal description must include a professional land survey map, conducted by a civil engineer who will provide the legal description to be recorded. For more information on any of the above processes, please contact DHCS/AHP at BHCIP@dhcs.ca.gov     

Applicants should consult with their legal counsel and applicable local agencies regarding the California Welfare and Institutions Code section 5960.3(a)(b)(c). DHCS is not responsible for determining whether an awardee qualifies for CEQA exemption. As per the program funding agreement (contract), the applicant will be responsible for providing copies of all appropriate building permits and/or notice of CEQA exemption, if applicable.     

While the bulk of this round’s PFA will echo the Round 3: Launch Ready PFA, there are two key differences: 1. Unlike the previous round, Round 4: Children and Youth does not include any federal funding. Therefore, there is no need for federal compliance requirements in the PFA, as there was in Round 3. 2. Round 4 funds are for facilities that provide treatment and service resources in settings that serve Californians ages 25 and younger, including pregnant and postpartum women and their children, and transition-age youth, along with their families. Round 3’s population was broader, since its focus was on funding projects that were deemed “launch ready.” These differences are reflected broadly throughout the PFA, but also in the Declaration of Restrictions.”     

A certified appraisal of the property is required at the time of the award application if you are using land as the source of your match or if you are acquiring a new property. The certified appraisal must be provided before the grant award is finalized. The cost of the appraisal is the responsibility of the applicant; however, it can be included on the budget as a sunk cost and used as match amount.     

DHCS anticipates BHCIP Round 4: Children and Youth funding award announcements by December 2022. For information and updates, please visit the Round 4: Children and Youth webpage: Children and Youth – BHCIP (buildingcalhhs.com).     

A sustainable business plan provides an outline of the business approach and structure of how the business will be operated and sustained over time—in this case, for the life of the funding. It is essential that all BHCIP applicants demonstrate that they have a plan for how they will absorb the expanded growth of their operations as proposed in the grant application. Please see these resources for examples:     

• Creating a Business Plan
• How to Wite a Business Plan for Healthcare

BHCIP expansion is considered the addition of new behavioral health service capacity only (beds/slots). Expansion does not include relocation/rebuilding/repurposing existing behavioral health service capacity. BHCIP funding is not preservation funding. Applications that propose to use BHCIP funding to move locations into a new facility, decrease current BH capacity, or support other non-capacity expansion activities will not be considered for funding.     

Welfare and Institutions Code Section 5960.15(d) specifies that an entity receiving BHCIP grant funds operate services in the financed facility for the intended purposes for a minimum of 30 years. Grantees will be required to execute contracts with DHCS to ensure that the BHCIP-funded facilities continue to be utilized for the intended purposes listed in Section 5960.15(d) for that 30-year period. DHCS intends on building some flexibility in that contract for the grantees to change the intended purpose of their BHCIP-funded facility, if necessary. However, the exact policies and process for a project modification or change in a facility’s use are still under development.     

Grant funds do not cover services, nor can services be used as a match.     

No. School-linked mobile or portable units are not eligible for Round 4: Children and Youth grant funding.     

Yes. Every round of BHCIP funding requires a separate pre-application consultation.     

No. The eligible facilities to be funded in BHCIP Round 4: Children and Youth include the following: community mental health clinics, community treatment facilities, community wellness/prevention centers, outpatient treatment for SUD, school-linked health centers, adolescent residential treatment facilities for youth with SUD, children’s crisis residential programs, crisis stabilization units, perinatal residential SUD facilities, psychiatric acute care hospitals, psychiatric health facilities, and short-term residential therapeutic programs.     

DHCS anticipates BHCIP Round 4: Children and Youth funding award announcements by December 2022. For information and updates, please visit the Round 4: Children and Youth webpage: Children and Youth – BHCIP (buildingcalhhs.com).     

The focus of this round of funding is children and youth, including pregnant and postpartum women, because their behavioral health affects their children. Therefore, there is no age limit on this group of women; the only age limits relate to their children (range: 0-17 years old).     

BHCIP Round 4 is only available to fund the expansion benefiting the intended target population of children/youth for behavioral health services. If the project is scalable, you may be able to apply for future BHCIP rounds for other phases of your project if it serves the intended populations.     

No, a project without an identified site does not meet the minimum threshold requirements; therefore, it is not eligible for BHCIP Round 4: Children and Youth funding. See minimum threshold requirements in the request for applications (RFA).     

Children’s Crisis Residential Programs are licensed by CDSS as a Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program and have a mental health program approved by DHCS. Please refer to Section 3.3 in the request for applications (RFA) for a list of eligible facilities considered for BHCIP Round 4: Children and Youth grant funding.     

Applications for BHCIP Round 4: Children and Youth grant funding are site-based. For a project with more than one department located at the same site, only one application is necessary. An application for another site would require a second application. Organizations can submit more than one application as long as each application is for a separate, distinct site.     

Yes, school-based health centers are not eligible for Round 4 funding. However, school-linked health centers, which are located off campus and have a formal operating agreement with the partnering school, are an eligible facility type.     

Yes, it is acceptable for one county to provide another a letter of support in applying for BHCIP funds.     

No. The eligible facility types are adolescent residential facilities for youth with SUD, children’s crisis residential program, community mental health clinic, community treatment facility, community wellness/youth prevention center, crisis stabilization unit, outpatient treatment for SUD, partial hospitalization program, perinatal residential SUD facility, psychiatric acute care hospital, psychiatric health facility, school-linked health center, and short-term residential treatment facility.     

A contract with the county to offer Medi-Cal services is not needed in order to apply for Round 4. However, applicants that offer Medi-Cal behavioral health services will be expected to have a contract in place with their county once the funded facility’s expansion is complete. Additionally, although community wellness centers and youth behavioral health prevention centers are not required to have a contract to provide Medi-Cal behavioral health services, they must provide services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries.     

No. County approval is NOT needed to apply for Round 4; however, a letter of support by any of the following entities is required: county board of supervisors, county behavioral health director, county executive, tribal council resolution, stakeholders, and/or other community-based organizations. City, nonprofit, or for-profit organizations must include a letter of support from their county behavioral health agency or, if a tribal entity, the tribal board at the time of the application or within the grant decision period.     

A county with two behavioral health divisions may apply separately for distinct infrastructure projects specific for the children and youth population. However, if services being rendered are at the same location, then one application will be necessary.     

The difference for purposes of determining eligibility is the facility’s location. Unlike school-based health centers, which are located on school property, school-linked health centers are located off school property.     

A school-linked health center is a specific type of school-based health center that is located off campus and has a formal operating agreement with the partnering school. School-linked health centers are operated by a community health center, a federally qualified health center, or other community-based provider and offers a wide variety of services such as primary care, behavioral health care, dental care, screening and prevention, and youth engagement activities. School-linked health centers must expand behavioral health services as part of their proposed project for Round 4 funding.     

No. Adult SUD residential facilities are not an eligible facility type.     

No. the facilities to be funded in BHCIP Round 4: Children and Youth are listed in the Program Update.     

Yes. BHCIP Round 4 will only fund facility expansion projects for youth age 25 and younger. The application must clearly explain how the infrastructure project will expand services for youth age 25 and younger exclusively.     

Funding for pre-development activities is included in the overall budget for the proposed project. Pre-development activities may include but are not limited to funds to hire an architect to draw construction plans, working with a financial advisor to develop a business plan, and other activities required to reach the minimum threshold for project readiness.   

No. The eligible facilities to be funded in BHCIP Round 4: Children and Youth include the following: community mental health clinics, community treatment facilities, community wellness/prevention centers, outpatient treatment for SUD, school-linked health centers, adolescent residential treatment facilities for youth with SUD, children’s crisis residential programs, crisis stabilization units, perinatal residential SUD facilities, psychiatric acute care hospitals, psychiatric health facilities, and short-term residential therapeutic programs.     

No. The facilities to be funded in BHCIP Round 4 Children and Youth are specific to the expansion of behavioral health services in community mental health clinics, community treatment facilities, community wellness/prevention centers, outpatient treatment for SUD, school linked health centers, adolescent residential treatment facilities for youth with SUD, children’s crisis residential programs, crisis stabilization units, perinatal residential SUD facilities, psychiatric acute care hospitals, psychiatric health facilities, and short-term residential therapeutic programs.     

Disbursement of funds will follow a standard 30-day draw period and 45-day payment cycle for work completed. The grantee will submit to the draw authority invoices for work completed over the previous 30 days. The draw authority will review the draw request, approve the invoices for work completed, and issue approval for disbursement of funds to the grantee. Subsequent funding for construction will be released following site inspections and once draw requests for work completed and invoices have been submitted for the previous 30-day period.     

BHCIP Round 4 Children and Youth is a separate and distinct application from Round 3 Launch Ready. Applicants who are not awarded funding in Round 3 are encouraged to apply for Round 4 if their proposal will expand behavioral health services for children and youth age 25 and younger and/or pregnant/postpartum women and their children.     

Yes. For-profit organizations and other private organizations—including private real estate developers—whose projects reflect the state priorities are eligible to apply for these funds.     

The completed application and budget, along with all required attachments, are due no later than August 31, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. PT.     

Send all questions to BHCIP@dhcs.ca.gov. Please use the subject line BHCIP Children and Youth RFA question.     

Perinatal means pregnant and postpartum women and their children. Perinatal facilities that are publicly funded must adhere to DHCS Perinatal Practice Guidelines.     

Children and youth ages 25 and younger, including pregnant and postpartum women and their children, children, and transition-age youth (TAY), along with their families.     

“Counties, cities, tribal entities (including 638s and urban clinics), nonprofit organizations, and for-profit organizations whose projects reflect the state’s priorities and also:     

• expand community capacity to serve Californians ages 25 and younger, and
• make a commitment to serve Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

In addition, for-profit organizations, including private real estate developers, with related prior development experience who are collaborating with nonprofit organizations, tribal entities, or counties may apply, but will be required to demonstrate a legal agreement with their co-applicant(s) to confirm the organization’s role in the project, including that they are working on behalf of the service provider.”
     

Applicants for Round 4: Children and Youth grants can apply for different facility types in one application as long as the programs are in the same location. Questions about licensing flexibilities should be directed to the specific state licensing department.