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Stanislaus County approves 202629 Behavioral Health Services Act plan, shifts millions toward housing and accountability
Summary
The Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to approve a three-year Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) integrated plan that prioritizes housing interventions and outcome reporting. The plan allocates roughly $41 million of BHSA funds and will be submitted to the state by June 30, 2026; implementation will require subsequent board actions for contracts and budgets.
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a three-year Behavioral Health Services Act integrated plan on June 16 that redirects local behavioral health resources toward housing, intensive full-service partnerships and measurable outcomes.
Ruben Imperial, director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS), told the board the plan is required by the passage of state measures including Proposition 1 and SB 326 and is a planning document that sets priorities and funding allocations for fiscal years 2026 through 2029. "The plan is required by the passage of Prop 1 and SB 326 and serves as the county's road map for behavioral health services, housing investments, and improvements over the next three years," Imperial said.
Under the proposal the county expects to use about $41 million in BHSA funds across the three categories required by the new state law: roughly $12.5 million for housing interventions, about $14 million for full-service partnerships (intensive outpatient supports for high-need individuals) and roughly $14.6 million for broader behavioral health services and supports. Staff described about $6 million of new investments focused on rental and operating subsidies and a $500,000 set-aside for a capital project tied to the El Capitan project.
Imperial emphasized that approval of the integrated plan does not itself authorize every program or contract. "The approval of the plan does not authorize all of the programs, expenditures, staffing changes, or contracts identified within the plan," he said; the department will return to the board with individual contract and budget recommendations for each program as implementation proceeds.
The presentation described the shift from the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) to the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA), a change that increases emphasis on housing and substance-use treatment while strengthening reporting, outcomes and evidence-based practices. Staff said the planning process included more than a year of outreach that reached about 600 unique stakeholders and that the plan incorporates a range of strategies such as expanded crisis-response teams, school-based services, justice diversion supports including Prop 36 referrals, neighborhood access and community health workers.
Board members expressed broad support for the plan's goals and for the department's community engagement. The board voted 5-0 to approve the integrated plan and authorize the signatures and certifications needed to submit the plan to the California Department of Health Care Services and the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission before the June 30, 2026 deadline. Implementation will begin July 1, 2026, and many specific programs will return to the board for contract approvals and further detail.
Next steps: staff will submit the certified plan to state oversight bodies, pursue recommended contracts and bring future agenda items to fund and operationalize the new and expanded programs enumerated in the plan.
