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Washoe County outlines behavioral health center, CARES campus housing and opioid funding distribution
Summary
County Manager Eric Brown briefed the CAB on Washoe County's multi-pronged initiatives: a Washoe Behavioral Health Center conversion at the West Hills site, a 50-unit affordable housing project at the CARES campus funded by $20 million from the Home Means Nevada Fund, and distribution of opioid settlement funds for recovery services.
Washoe County Manager Eric Brown told the Gerlach CAB that the county is moving forward on multiple behavioral-health and housing initiatives, including conversion of the former West Hills Hospital into a Washoe Behavioral Health Center and use of $20 million in state ARPA funds (Home Means Nevada Fund) to build a 50-unit affordable-housing project adjacent to the CARES shelter campus.
"We did secure $20,000,000 in state funding from the Home Means Nevada Fund... This facility will house 50 units and is scheduled to open in April," Brown said, describing the funding as state ARPA dollars being used to provide housing for households at 0–60% of area median income.
Brown said the county has completed the CARES campus shelter construction and renewed contracts with shelter service providers, including Volunteers of America (VOA), RISE and other partners. He said staffing and provider contract terms have been standardized to improve operations.
On behavioral health, Brown said the county hired Julia Ratti as behavioral health administrator and is planning to use the former West Hills hospital as the Washoe Behavioral Health Center. "Probably 60% of that 46,000 square foot facility will be dedicated towards kids, youth, juvenile, mental health needs... The remainder will primarily be allocated for adults who are... subacute mental health needs," he said.
Brown said the county also is distributing opioid-award funds; to date, about $4.5 million in recovery grants has been awarded as part of a multi-year distribution of settlement and judgment dollars.
Brown emphasized improvements in senior facilities and programming, upgrades to senior-center kitchens and physical spaces, and continuing work on a sequential-intercept model to connect people with mental-health care earlier in the criminal-justice process.
No final opening dates beyond the April target for the housing units were announced for the behavioral health center; Brown said planning and remodel work are underway and that board direction guided the priorities announced at the meeting.
