Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program
Expanding the statewide continuum of behavioral health treatment and service resources for Californians
Overview
DHCS was authorized through 2021 legislation to establish the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) and award $2.2 billion to construct, acquire, and expand properties and invest in mobile crisis infrastructure related to behavioral health. DHCS has been releasing these funds through multiple grant rounds targeting various gaps in the state’s behavioral health facility infrastructure.
In March 2024, California voters passed Proposition 1, a two-bill package including the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) (Senate Bill 326) and the Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act of 2024(BHIBA) (Assembly Bill 531). The BHIBA portion is a $6.38 billion general obligation bond to develop an array of behavioral health treatment, residential care settings, and supportive housing to help provide appropriate care facilities for Californians experiencing mental health conditions and substance use disorders. DHCS was authorized to award up to $4.4 billion in BHIBA funds for BHCIP competitive grants. In addition, DHCS will enact changes resulting from Proposition 1 through the Behavioral Health Transformation (BHT) project, which aims to modernize the behavioral health delivery system, improve accountability, increase transparency, and expand capacity of behavioral health care facilities for California residents.
*Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP) is the BHCIP/Bond BHCIP administrative entity.
Background
The Department aims to reduce homelessness, incarceration, unnecessary hospitalizations, and inpatient days and improve outcomes for people with behavioral health conditions by expanding access to community-based treatment. The Department proposes to invest in the expansion of beds, units, or rooms by building new behavioral health continuum infrastructure and expanding capacity. These resources would expand the continuum of services by increasing capacity for short-term crisis stabilization, acute and sub-acute care, crisis residential, community-based mental health residential treatment, substance use disorder residential treatment, peer respite, mobile crisis, community and outpatient behavioral health services, and other clinically enriched longer-term treatment and rehabilitation opportunities for individuals with behavioral health disorders, in the least restrictive and least costly setting.
BHCIP Rounds 3-5 and Bond BHCIP Rounds 1-2 To Date*
312
Projects Awarded
546
New/Expanding Behavioral Health Facility Types Funded
5.4M+
Individuals Projected to be Served Annually in an Outpatient Setting
*Data reported here are grantee reported estimates and subject to change.