Berkeley accepts $8 million Prop 47 grant to expand CareBridge transitional housing services

Berkeley’s City Council voted on Sept. 30 to accept $8,000,000 in Prop 47 Cohort 5 funding to support Berkeley CareBridge, a post-arrest diversion and reentry initiative intended to provide transitional housing and behavioral-health services to people with justice-system contact.

The City Manager described the grant as “the one I’m most proud of tonight,” explaining that the funding is aimed at helping residents with behavioral-health or substance-use issues "instead of going to jail, going to a hotel and going to treatment." The manager said acceptance of the grant on the consent calendar is the first of two steps; council will later consider contracts with operators who will run the hotel-based program.

Councilmember Luna Parra, who sponsored the ceremonial recognition earlier in the meeting, said the three-year program is expected to serve "approximately 60 to 80 people a year," emphasizing the grant’s role in combining housing with integrated services to reduce recidivism and homelessness for people cycling through the justice system.

Council discussion and public comments at the consent calendar emphasized the grant’s scale and importance. Several councilmembers and public speakers praised staff who secured the funding and noted that the grant is no-match money to the city, meaning it brings new resources into Berkeley’s CareBridge effort.

Next steps: City staff said they will return with contracts and operator agreements for the program’s hotel and service providers. The council’s acceptance establishes the city’s authority to receive the funds and begin program planning.

Votes and actions: Acceptance of the Prop 47 grant was included on the consent calendar, which the council moved and approved without recorded opposition.