Board approves state diversion funding agreement and outpatient provider master agreements; asks for recidivism data

The Fresno County Board of Supervisors on June 24 approved multiple behavioral‑health actions: the county will accept a five‑year diversion funding agreement from the California Department of State Hospitals, the board authorized a master agreement with individual and group providers for outpatient specialty mental‑health services effective July 1, 2025, and approved county participation as a specialty mental‑health and supportive‑services provider in a Housing Authority grant application (the COSI Builds program).

Susan Hall, behavioral health director, told the board the diversion funding is intended to serve justice‑involved individuals with serious mental‑health needs and that the court retains the final authority to divert or not. Hall said the diversion statute and court authority define which offenses are eligible and that “there is a wide range of crimes” that may be eligible while some violent crimes are excluded under statute. She said the program could fund housing, 24/7 wraparound supports, psychiatry, case management, peer supports and evidence‑based psychotherapy. Hall reported that the locally implemented diversion program began in 2020 and that 33 of 55 participants “graduated out of the program,” and she offered to work with sheriff’s office partners to obtain recidivism data for the board.

Several supervisors pressed for recidivism metrics, the nature of crimes eligible for diversion and the state penalties counties face if they exceed growth caps for individuals sent to state hospitals. County staff agreed to prepare a board briefing within about 30 days that would include recidivism figures, the types of crimes that were diverted, and the state’s metrics and penalties.

Separately, the board approved a master agreement that will let the county contract with individual and group providers to deliver outpatient specialty mental‑health services, effective July 1. That item was pulled from consent and approved after no public comment was received on the item.

The board also approved participation as a specialty mental‑health and supportive‑services partner on a Housing Authority grant application to support a proposed 45‑unit project (Avalon Commons). Supervisor comments noted the county’s fiscal commitment as wraparound services: staff said the county’s behavioral‑health contribution is about $90,000 per year for a 15‑year commitment, contingent on the housing authority receiving the grant and on Medi‑Cal revenue offsets. Supervisor Gary said he would vote no on the housing‑linked item because he was concerned about the project’s construction cost — which he described from the agenda as about $38.3 million for 45 units (about $851,000 per unit) — even though the county’s role was limited to providing services rather than financing construction; the motion carried 4–1.

Actions approved by the board were described by staff as necessary to continue and expand wraparound services and to gain access to state diversion dollars rather than relying solely on county realignment funding. Staff repeatedly emphasized that the court’s statutory authority determines who can be diverted and that accepting state funding expands the county’s ability to provide services without shifting full costs to local budgets.