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County ratifies $7.3 million Proposition 47 grant to expand court‑linked wraparound services
Summary
The Board of Supervisors ratified acceptance of a $7,317,598 Proposition 47 grant to embed peer navigators and fund housing, clinical case management and evaluation services for justice‑involved people with behavioral‑health needs. The award splits funds among the Public Defender's Office, Turning Point Foundation and Interface Children & Family
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors unanimously ratified March 11 a $7,317,598 grant award from the California Board of State and Community Corrections for a Proposition 47 program. The funding is intended to provide wraparound services for people with mental‑health and substance‑use challenges who come through misdemeanor court processes.
A presenter from the Public Defender’s Office described the plan as embedding peer navigators — people with lived experience — in the misdemeanor arraignment court (Department 11) to link clients with housing, transportation, substance‑use and mental‑health treatment, identification and benefits enrollment. The proposal allocates $1.5 million to the Public Defender’s Office to staff court‑based navigators, $1.9 million to Turning Point Foundation for housing and clinical case management, $3.5 million to Interface Children & Family Services for screening and treatment, and roughly $345,600 for Mixtec‑language interpretation services to improve access for Mixteco speakers.
The presenter said the project includes an evaluation plan and data collection to measure recidivism and outcomes; Interface will administer the independent evaluation component. The board discussion focused on program partners and the proposal’s goal to reduce repeat justice system involvement by addressing behavioral‑health and social needs.
The motion to ratify the grant was made and seconded by supervisors and passed in a roll‑call vote recorded as unanimous (Supervisors LaVere, Garrell, Long, Lopez and Chair Parvin voted yes). Board members and staff noted appreciation for the cross‑sector partnerships that developed the project and for pursuing state funding to provide services without drawing on local general‑fund dollars.
Next steps: The board’s ratification allows the county to accept the award and pass the specified subawards to partner agencies; staff and partners will coordinate implementation and the independent evaluation.
