DATE: January 30, 2024
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 $876,546
RECOMMENDATION
That the City Council:
Adopts a resolution (Attachment II) 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, infrastructure development, and direct service for the Hayward Evaluation and Response Teams (HEART) program; and Accepts and appropriates $876,546 to the Federal Grants Special Revenue Fund 220.
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. In January 2024, the City was awarded additional funding in the amount of $876,546 and the BHJIS project period was extended through March 31, 2025.
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 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. For more on the HEART program, visit www.hayward-ca.gov/heart.
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 three 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 includes Hayward Fire Department Community Paramedics to provide medical attention to those experiencing homelessness, mental health issues, and/or substance use.
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 to address active mental health crises.
Case Management & Mental Health Linkages Team (LINK) which includes a Behavioral Health Coordinator, Lead Program Assistant, and Mobile Mental Health Clinicians that receive referrals from HMET and MIHU and provide on-going follow up and connecting those in need with resources available Countywide.
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. Most recently, in January 2024, the City was awarded another round of additional funding in the amount of $876,546 and the BHJIS project period was extended through March 31, 2025. Since the start of this grant with BHJIS, the City has received a total of $1,395,806 in funding to support the HEART program’s personnel, training, and reporting costs.
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 years of global pandemic, isolation, 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 developed the HEART Program and actively explored funding opportunities to support implementation of these strategies.
The BHJIS project provides critical funding to continue to build the City’s capacity to respond more effectively to people in crisis. Components of the Hayward BHJIS project include:
Utilize three distinct co-response teams: the Mobile Integrated Health Unit (MIHU), the Hayward Mobile Evaluation Team (HMET), and Case Management and Mental Health Linkages Team (LINK) Utilize administrative staff to oversee the project and provide administrative support, conduct planning, training and protocol/policy development to support the co-responder teams; Develop and improve data collection and appropriate sharing mechanisms to inform project evaluation, make deliberate improvements, and plan for project expansion; Maintain data systems to support clinical record keeping and data collection for direct service personnel; 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 Q1: Continue to implement and measure the HEART Pilot Program.
FISCAL IMPACT
With the additional $876,546 awarded as part of the recommended amendment, the City will receive a total of $1,395,806 for the BHJIS project from February 2022 through March 2025, spanning across four separate fiscal years ($58,970 in FY 2022; $180,280 in FY 2023; $1,156,556 in FY 2024 & FY 2025).
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 2025 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.
PUBLIC CONTACT
The HEART Program was created as a recommendation following the City’s Public Safety Innovation Workshops in 2021. Updates on the Public Safety Police Innovation Projects can be found here: Public Safety Project Implementation.
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 $876,546 to the Federal Grants Revenue Fund 220 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 Hwang, Management Analyst
Amy Cole-Bloom, Community Services 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).