​Round 5: Crisis and Behav​​​ioral Health Continuum 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.          

Yes, required letters of support will be acceptable using DocuSign. Please note that the signature date must be current and clearly visible.          

“Only nonprofit entities are entitled to the 10 percent match. To meet the 10 percent match requirement, either the applicant or the co-applicant must be a nonprofit company. If a single applicant is a for-profit entity, the match requirement is 25 percent. A for-profit applicant that has executed an MOU with a nonprofit service provider is not eligible for the nonprofit match amount of 10 percent because again, the nonprofit must be either the applicant or the co-applicant.”          

When sobering centers are identified as an eligible facility type for BHCIP funding, the sobering center must also be connected to the DMC-ODS and/or Community Supports. The Community Support services must be covered as an “in lieu of service” by managed care plans on a voluntary basis. When the sobering center is part of a DMC-certified provider with a contract with a DMC-ODS county, service components within the withdrawal management services benefit are covered under DMC-ODS. BHIN 23-001 (Supersedes BHIN 21-075) has more details. Please contact countysupport@dhcs.ca.gov with any questions on the DMC-ODS benefit.          

It is understood that some projects will continue construction after Dec 31, 2026. This is allowable. The goal of the Sponsor in these cases should be to expend BHCIP funds before Dec 31, 2026. BHCIP funds stop on Dec 31, 2026. Therefore, it is up to each Sponsor to expend their BHCIP funds before Dec 31, 2026.          

“BHCIP does not fund non built-in furnishings. Non-built-in furnishings are considered FFEs, which are items that are not permanently affixed to a building and are consequently easily removable from their respective locations within the building. BHCIP funds are only intended for behavioral health infrastructures. BHCIP funds can cover real property that is permanently affixed to the building. For example, a built-in concrete bench is real property that can be funded by BHCIP. Items such as, but not limited to, refrigerators, computers, chairs, tables, and microwaves are all examples of personal property and are not funded by BHCIP. If you have any additional questions regarding allowable or non-allowable expenses, please reach out to BHCIP@dhcs.ca.gov.“          

FFE is not an allowable expense through the BHCIP funding grants. FFEs are items that are not permanently affixed to a building and are consequently easily removable from their respective locations within the building. These items may include but are not limited to desks, chairs, computers, electronic equipment, tables, bookcases, and partitions. If you have any additional questions regarding allowable or non-allowable expenses, please reach out to BHCIP@dhcs.ca.gov.          

Please refer to the ASAM Treatment Criteria to determine the appropriate level of care across the behavioral health continuum. https://www.asam.org/asam-criteria/about-the-asam-criteria          

In order for a general construction company to bid the project, the general contractor must be registered with the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR). Upon execution of the grant program funding agreement, sponsors must register their project with the DIR. Each sponsor must register their own project, separate from the contractor registration. https://www.dir.ca.gov/Public-Works/Contractor-Registration.html          

As indicated in the BHCIP Round 5 RFA, if a tribal entity, a letter of support from the tribal board at the time of application is required. A tribal council resolution may suffice as an acceptable letter of support.          

Department of Industrial Relations rules and prevailing wages apply to any engineering or construction work you perform on the site. If you are acquiring a turnkey or move-in ready building that does not require any rehabilitation or remodeling, there is no construction workforce to be hired. Therefore, there is no need to register with the DIR and there are no prevailing wage-related activities          

These funds are only for capital expansion through acquisition and construction. BHCIP funding may not be used to cover operational expenses.          

You may only request BHCIP Round 5: Crisis and Behavioral Health Continuum funds for your behavioral health expansion project. Your budget should only relate to your behavioral health-specific project, not your full construction project. Additionally, your application narrative should describe the overall project, with specific details on the portion of the project that BHCIP funding would support.          

Mobile crisis units are not eligible for BHCIP Round 5: Crisis and Behavioral Health Continuum funding. Please see list for eligible facility types in Section 3.3 of the RFA.          

Applications are based on the address of the project. If you have a project with multiple facility types at the same address, then only one application is needed. If the facility types are at different addresses, you will need to submit a separate application for each facility type at each unique address.          

The number of applications needed is based on the address of the project. If a campus has multiple APNs for the same address, then only one application is needed.         

One application must be submitted for each project address. Applications are based on the address of the project. If a project has two different addresses, then two separate applications must be submitted–one for each address.          

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Yes, a STRTP that serves a juvenile justice population may be eligible for BHCIP funding only if it is an unlocked facility and meets all necessary behavioral and/or mental health staffing and licensing or certification requirements.         

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.         

All grant applicants are required to engage in a pre-application consultation before submitting an application. (You may begin an application at any time; however, to submit it, you will need to be approved to do so through a pre-application consultation.) The consultation will provide an opportunity to discuss proposed projects, match requirements and potential sources, statutory and regulatory concerns, how the project addresses the state priorities, and related considerations. These pre-application consultations will be provided by technical assistance (TA) specialists, including staff from Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and real estate development experts engaged by the administrative entity, Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP). For more information about pre-application consultations and TA, visit Pre-Application Consultations and Technical Assistance – BHCIP (buildingcalhhs.com).