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Board approves regional agreements to set up Hope Forward children’s crisis continuum
Summary
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved agreements totaling approximately $678,000 with Merced and San Joaquin counties to staff and implement a state‑funded pilot creating a regional children’s crisis continuum anchored by the Hope Forward campus; construction is expected to finish December 2026 with program rollout in spring 2027.
The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors on July 7 approved agreements with Merced and San Joaquin counties to help implement a state‑funded children’s crisis continuum pilot centered on the Hope Forward children’s campus.
Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Director Reuben Imperial told the board the three‑county regional partnership will use the funds to dedicate staff for planning, care coordination, grant administration and data reporting as the county prepares to open new programs on the Hope Forward campus. “These three programs represent a really important, critical infrastructure we need for residential treatment programs in our community,” Imperial said during his presentation.
Imperial described three on‑site services planned for the campus: a crisis stabilization unit for brief stays (up to 24 hours), a children’s crisis residential program for longer stays, and a psychiatric health facility. He said the regional pilot is intended to keep youth in less‑restrictive, more local settings and reduce long emergency‑department stays and distant placements.
The board’s staff recommendations authorized an agreement with Merced County for $398,812 and an agreement with San Joaquin County for $280,115, both for the retroactive term July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, and authorized designated county directors to sign and execute related documents. Imperial said the facility construction is funded by an earlier state grant and estimated construction completion in December 2026 with program implementation in spring 2027.
Jeannie Emilio, identified on the record as interim CEO of EspiritNet (the nonprofit partner leading program implementation), said EspiritNet already operates residential programming across the three counties and expects most staff to live in Stanislaus County while recruiting regionally. “We anticipate the majority of the staff will live in Stanislaus County,” she said, adding the campus will serve as a regional hub for children’s behavioral health services.
Public comment included support for keeping children and families closer to home and questions about hiring and county usage percentages in a shared program; staff said operational percentages and staffing allocation will be worked out during program development. The board approved the agreements and related authorizations by a 5‑0 vote.
The action builds on a previously reported state award the county used to fund facility construction and regional planning; today’s agreements cover partner staffing and administrative costs while the counties finalize long‑term operating agreements.
Next steps: staff will finalize and execute the partner agreements, continue program development and report back on program timelines and implementation milestones ahead of the campus opening.
