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MHSA Housing Program

State Funding for Developing Permanent Supportive Housing for Individuals with Severe Mental Illness    

Information is available at California Department of Mental Health – Mental Health Services Act – Housing

MHSA Housing Program Assignment of Funds Draft Agreement Now Available for Review and Comment   

A total of $115 million in MHSA funds statewide will be set aside annually in the MHSA Housing Program for the development of affordable housing for people who have a serious mental illness and are homeless or at-risk of homelessness.  The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) will administer the housing development funds and the state Department of Mental Health (DMH) will oversee the provision of services to tenants.  Each mental health jurisdiction received a planning estimate for the amount of funds that will be available for housing development project applications.  These applications are then submitted by the jurisdiction to DMH and CalHFA.

The BHCS planning estimate is $14,619,200.  The State will only make these funds available through project-specific applications to CalHFA.  An Assignment Agreement is required to authorize DMH to transfer BHCS’s planning estimate to CalHFA.

Completing the Assignment Agreement will allow BHCS to submit housing development funding applications for $14,619,200 that would not otherwise be available to the County for this or any other purpose.  Participation in the MHSA Housing Program will help address the critical need for housing for people with mental illnesses identified in the CSS Plan.

You can download this document in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Farsi versions.

BHCS is soliciting comments related to this proposed assignment of funds as part of a 30-day review period.  Please email, call, or send comments by July 14, 2008 to:

Attn: Robert Ratner, Housing Services Director
E-mail: rratner@acbhcs.org
Phone: 510-567-8124
Address: 2000 Embarcadero Cove, Suite 400, Oakland, CA 94606

Or give your comments in person by attending one of the public meetings.