Board directs staff to develop plan for housing and integrated behavioral‑health campus at 300 Forney Road

Olivia Byron Cooper, director of the Health and Human Services Agency, told the board on Aug. 26 that the ad hoc homelessness committee recommended exploring a revised model for emergency housing and treatment at 300 Forney Road to better serve families and households who will engage in services.

“Relying on our current funding matrix is not sustainable,” Byron Cooper said, noting recent legal and funding changes — including a Supreme Court ruling that affected encampment enforcement — and a decline in some state and federal homelessness funding streams. She and HHSA colleagues said the county has reduced unsheltered homelessness by about 70 percent since 2022, but that the present low‑barrier, housing‑first navigation center model does not align with all local priorities and may not be financially sustainable going forward.

The proposed direction would expand the focus to families and to individuals willing to engage in integrated behavioral‑health treatment and case management. HHSA and sheriff’s office staff emphasized that alternative treatment streams and new Medi‑Cal‑linked resources are evolving and could be incorporated into a locally controlled model. Nonprofits and housing advocates at the meeting urged partnerships and offered to help implement service components and wraparound supports.

The board voted unanimously to direct staff to develop a detailed, implementable plan and to return as soon as possible with a fully formed proposal that reflects recently updated funding and regulatory guidance. Supervisors emphasized continued security for the county campus and coordination with the jail expansion timeline so operational needs align with available space and staff capacity.