Governor Gavin Newsom is continuing to provide more resources to local communities to assist in mental health and addiction treatment services. Because of this, the county is getting an extra $8 million to provide more services and keep people out of jail.
“So this grant is through what we call Proposition 47,” said Behavioral Health Supervisor Amber Lopez. “They provide funds to support specific community needs. For us, we’re using this to support what we call our prop 36 population.”
Behavioral Health Supervisor Amber Lopez says this caters to individuals that are repeat drug offenders and places them in treatment instead of prison.
Lopez tells me each month since the passing of Proposition 36, Kern BHRS has received an average of 36 new people every month.
“Prop 36 put a lot of new people into our system and our services and so it’s growing rapidly,” said Lopez. “So, this way we can make sure that those people are getting the services they need and then also others that are entering for other reasons.”
With this influx of patients and now the additional $8 million, Lopez says they’ll be able to provide more focused care for each person.
“It will allow us to do you know intensive case management, housing support, making sure that all the treatment they need is available, both substance use and mental health and really guide them through the process to see them in recovery,” said Lopez.
Kern County is just one of 22 other agencies to have received this grant, provided by Governor Gavin Newsom.
In a statement given to us by the Governors Office, they tell us,
“California is tackling crime while investing in programs that address the mental health and drug issues on our streets. Families have a right to safe streets and communities — and this funding helps us keep that promise.”
Locally, the program is already bringing positivity to the community and Lopez says they only hope to do more.
“Kern actually just saw their first graduate our first Prop 36 graduate from treatment and we expect to see more and more. I think this is an opportunity for the community to support them and reintegrate people back to where they need to be,” said Lopez.
State leaders say the goal is safer communities, not just through tougher laws, but by tackling the root causes of crime, and giving people a real chance to turn their lives around.
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