OROVILLE, Calif. — During the Butte County Board of Supervisors meeting on August 26, Behavioral Health Director Scott Kennelly outlined the implications of the upcoming Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) on county funding. The current Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), funded by a 1-percent tax on Californians earning over $1 million annually, will transition to the BHSA next year. This revenue currently constitutes 30 percent of the Department of Behavioral Health’s budget.
Kennelly explained that the new state regulations will significantly alter county control over funding.
“The state is much more prescriptive on what we can and can’t fund. One of the biggest changes is we are required to shift 30% of our funding towards housing, which we’ve never had to fund before,” he said.
Historically, the department has focused on treatment with only minor support for housing efforts.
Kennelly noted that the department has been in communication with providers to update them on necessary changes to qualify for funding. “So, by the end of the year, we should know what programs. Our, at least in our draft, BHSA template will be funded. That plan will then have to go to the state and our behavioral health advisory board for approval,” he said.
The BHSA’s requirement for programs to build homes aims to support California’s unhoused population. However, Butte County Supervisor Todd Kimmelshue expressed disagreement with the focus on housing. “We admire that and we think that’s a great idea, but many of these people need help with mental health issues, with addiction issues. And so that’s why we think that money should go to mental health and addiction issues and not necessarily homes,” Kimmelshue said.
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