DATE: May 16, 2023
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: Adopt a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to (1) Extend and Amend the Agreement with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. for the California Department of Healthcare Services, Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Services Project; and (2) Accept and Appropriate Additional Funding in the Amount of $130,000
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council:
Adopts a resolution authorizing the City Manager to extend and amend the agreement with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. for the Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Services (BHJIS) Grant Project which provides grant funding to support capacity building and infrastructure development for the Hayward Evaluation and Response Teams (HEART) program. (Attachment II); and Accepts and appropriates $130,000 to the Federal Grants Special Revenue Fund.
SUMMARY
In December 2021, to support capacity building and infrastructure development for the Hayward Evaluation and Response Teams (HEART) program, the City applied for the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Services (BHJIS) project, funded by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). In February 2022, the City was awarded $389,260 for the initial project period from February 15, 2022 through February 14, 2023. DHCS contracted with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP) as the administrator for the grant. In January 2023, the BHJIS project period was extended through December 31, 2023 and in March 2023, additional funding in the amount of $130,000 was awarded to continue the project through the extended project period.
Council approval is requested to authorize the City Manager to extend and amend the agreement with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP) to continue the important work of improving the City’s response to people experiencing mental illness, substance use disorders, and homelessness.
BACKGROUND
The Hayward Evaluation and Response Teams (HEART) program was originally developed from recommendations made by the Public Safety Policy Innovation Workshops that took place in Spring 2021 following deep engagement with the community about public safety and policing in Hayward. For a full background and links to staff reports, visit www.hayward-ca.gov/haywardsafe.
The primary goal of HEART is to create an integrated continuum of options for public safety responses to community members experiencing mental illness, homelessness and/or substance use disorders, allowing the right team or resource to respond to the right call for service, improving access to medical, mental health and other support services and reducing the need for police officers to intervene. The HEART model consists of two distinct co-responder teams, that are rooted in national best practices for crisis response systems, including SAMHSA’s National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care and the National Council of Behavior Health’s Roadmap to the Ideal Crisis System:
The Mobile Integrated Health Unit (MIHU) which pairs Hayward Fire Department Community Paramedics with Mental Health Clinicians The Hayward Mobile Evaluation Team (HMET) which pairs Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) trained Hayward Police Officers with behavioral health clinicians from the Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services.
In addition to the co-responder teams, the HEART program also includes a Behavioral Health Coordinator and a Lead Program Assistant. The Behavioral Health Coordinator focuses on infrastructure development and capacity building to maximize the leveraging of resources available Countywide and identify and close service gaps for Hayward’s most vulnerable residents. The Lead Program Assistant provides critical case management and follow-up services for community members referred by MIHU and HMET who need additional support and connection to resources after the initial call for service is resolved.
In December 2021, the City applied for a competitive grant from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) for the Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Services (BHJIS) Project, funded by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) through the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA). The BHJIS Project is intended to help agencies, including local governments, first responders, law enforcement, behavioral health and others, to improve and enhance their collaborative response to individuals facing mental health or substance use crises.
The primary BHJIS goals are to:
Implement innovative solutions to problems and connect people experiencing mental or substance use crises at the right time and in the right environment; Improve partnerships/collaboration between system partners and communities; and Adopt policies and practices to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and establish culturally and linguistically appropriate services that address structural inequities.
In February 2022, the City was awarded $389,260 for the initial project period from February 15, 2022 through February 14, 2023. DHCS contracted with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP) as the administrator for the grant. In January 2023, the BHJIS project period was extended through December 31, 2023, and in March 2023, additional funding in the amount of $130,000 was awarded to continue the project through the extended project period, bringing the total amount of BHJIS funding awarded to the City to $519,260.
DISCUSSION
Recent events, backed by research, show it is clear we need new solutions in mental health and crisis response. At least 20 percent of police calls for service involve a mental health or substance use crisis, a demand that has grown over the past two years of global pandemic and national unrest. There is an urgent need for increased collaboration between crisis care systems if we are to properly address mental health crisis response. For nearly three years, Hayward has been engaging community members and evaluating how to best meet the needs of community members who experience mental illness, substance use and homelessness and require emergency response from our Police and Fire departments. In an effort to balance innovative solutions that meet Hayward’s specific needs with established best practices, staff has developed the Hayward Evaluation and Response Teams (HEART) Program and has actively explored funding opportunities to support implementation of these new strategies. Towards this end, the Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Services (BHJIS) project is providing critical funding to continue to build the City’s capacity to respond more effectively to people in crisis.
Components of the Hayward BHJIS Project
Identify service and resource gaps through system mapping of assets/needs among mental health and other social service partners and identify strategies to address gaps; Utilize two distinct co-response teams that include clinical staff to respond to calls for service alongside HFD and HPD: the Mobile Integrated Health Unit (MIHU) and the Hayward Mobile Evaluation Team (HMET); Conduct planning, training and protocol/policy development to support the co-responder teams; Procure necessary equipment to support the program, including two unmarked vehicles; Develop and improve data collection and appropriate sharing mechanisms to inform project evaluation and continual improvement; Formalize organizational agreements/infrastructure required to seamlessly connect community members experiencing mental illness, substance use disorders, and homelessness to services; and Participate in monthly coaching calls and quarterly learning collaborative meetings to receive technical assistance from Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP).
STRATEGIC ROADMAP
This agenda item supports the Strategic Priority of Enhance Community Safety and Quality of Life. Specifically, this item relates to Project Q5: Community Safety Public Engagement and Policy Innovation Workshop Pilots/Projects.
FISCAL IMPACT
With the additional $130,000 awarded as part of the recommended amendment, the City will receive a total of $519,260 for the BHJIS project from February 2022 through December 2023, spanning three separate fiscal years ($58,970 in FY 2022; $180,280 in FY 2023; $280,010 in FY 2024). Accepting and appropriating these funds to the Federal Grants Special Revenue Fund will allow the balance of the unspent BHJIS funds to be carried forward in the FY 2024 budget cycle. As staff continues to develop long term funding models that will allow for the sustainability of the HEART program beyond the pilot period, the awarded grant will provide critical bridge funding to offset the cost to the City’s General Fund while the pilot is implemented and fund development continues.
NEXT STEPS
If the Council authorizes this action, staff will work to: 1) Extend and amend the agreement with AHP for the Behavioral Health Justice Intervention Services (BHJIS) project; 2) accept and appropriate $130,000 to the Federal Grants Revenue Fund and 3) continue developing and implementing the HEART program to provide essential mental health, medical, and other social services to the Hayward community.
Prepared by: Emily Young, YFSB Administrator/HEART Project Manager Recommended by: Regina Youngblood, Assistant City Manager Approved by:
_________________________________
Kelly McAdoo, City Manager
https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/national-guidelines-for-behavioral-health-crisis-care-02242020.pdf http://crisisroadmap.com/
Abramson, A., (2021). Building Mental Health into Emergency Responses. American Psychological Association. Monitor on Psychology. 52(5), 30.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care Best Practice Toolkit. 2020. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).