Feasibility study recommends phased African American Holistic Wellness Hub; board asks equity committee to develop implementation steps

The Board of Supervisors received a feasibility study on April 15 recommending a phased approach to creating an African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub for Contra Costa County. The study—conducted by CERES Policy Research at the board’s direction and guided by a 13‑member community steering committee—summarizes extensive outreach (more than 4,000 survey responses, 16 listening sessions and 12 stakeholder interviews) and recommends a model grounded in community leadership, culturally‑rooted care, and phased implementation.

CERES delivered three recommended phases: 1) mobile response teams and community site activations to connect people immediately to services and build trust; 2) a network of satellite centers in priority districts to provide ongoing, warmed referrals and co‑located services; and 3) a permanent, full service hub (the consultant identified 1650 Cavallo Road as a feasible county‑owned site to study further) with co‑located case management, behavioral health, housing navigation, workforce pathways and culturally‑grounded programming.

The study framed the hub as filling gaps in current service delivery: residents told researchers they found many existing services to be “untrustworthy or unsafe,” and they want culturally‑grounded providers and a coordinated, navigable system. The highest‑priority service areas identified by the steering committee and CERES were culturally grounded mental health and trauma care, housing navigation and rental assistance, economic stability and workforce development, and spaces for community healing and belonging.

CERES also presented a governance and sustainability roadmap. Consultants recommended beginning with memoranda of understanding and a fiscal agent or “fiscal holder” to deploy seed funding ($7.5 million allocated by the board in 2024 for the hub) and to contract immediately for mobile teams and technical assistance. Over time, the consultants proposed a hybrid governance approach that centers community leadership while enabling public‑private funding, including philanthropic partnerships, Medi‑Cal and fee‑for‑service billing where appropriate, and earned‑revenue elements tied to facility use.

The public comment period was extensive: more than 70 callers and dozens in chambers urged rapid implementation, voiced preference for community and black‑led governance, and described the need for services in East County (Antioch) and West County (Richmond). Several speakers urged that the hub not be merely county‑run but should be community‑led with county partnership. Others emphasized speeding deployment of mobile services and seed-funded contracts rather than delaying for structural decisions.

After discussion, the board directed Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice staff to coordinate interdepartmental planning (including County Health, Employment & Human Services, library and other departments), to bring back a detailed implementation plan to the Equity Committee (next targeted meetings in May) and return to the full board with recommended next steps. The board did not adopt a final governance structure at the meeting and stressed community leadership, transparency and the importance of a rapid launch of urgent prevention services while longer‑term governance is finalized.