Recognizing the overlap between homelessness and mental illness, Yolo County is partnering with Fourth & Hope — Woodland’s homeless shelter — to bring services directly to those who need them. Called the “Extended Hope Project,” the effort “aims to improve the health and well-being of persons with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders experiencing homelessness in Yolo County,” according to a staff report. Funded by a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services grant — amounting to $1.9 million from January 2017 to September 2019 — the two-year treatment program will focus on client recovery. The collaboration will offer intensive case management, identification and treatment of mental health and substance use disorders, and housing navigation and placement.
With little discussion, Yolo supervisors greenlighted the plan on Tuesday, specifically approving $799,776 in funding from the grant for the current fiscal year.
Once implemented, the partnership will also include an outreach worker position. This full-time employee will assist with identifying, assessing and providing services to the target population.
While the project was quickly approved, the topic of mental health was discussed at length during Tuesday’s meeting.
Specifically, staff presented a number of new mental health programs aimed at reaching clients at all levels across the county over the next three years.
Drawing from a different pot of money — the Mental Health Services Act, which provides about $11 million to the county annually — the numerous programs generally focus on early intervention and treatment as well as increasing accessibility of services.
A new approach to this would be the implementation of “community-based navigation centers.” These drop-in facilities will be stationed throughout the community, giving people another place to go.
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