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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10181994 - FC.1 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS -ft.....It °F Contra FROM: : Finance Committee, Tom Torlaksong Costa z; . Gayle Bishop County DATE: October 11, 1994 SUBJECT: HOUSING FOR THE MENTALLY DISABLED SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. ENDORSE a plan for members of the Mental Health Commission, Mental Health Division Staff, Alliance for the Mentally III, Mental Health Coalition and the Network of Mental Health Clients to meet with city councils, church leaders and service organizations from throughout the county to discuss the issue of housing for the mentally disabled. 2. REQUEST the staff of the Housing Authority to advise Mental Health Division staff of changes to housing plans, and efforts to house the homeless. 3. REQUEST the staff of the Housing Authority to advise Mental Health Division staff of mobile home vacancy and other potential housing resources which may be available to the Mentally Disabled. 4. REFER this item back to the Finance Committee for a follow-up discussion. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT- YES SIGNATURE: r RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE `.APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): m Torlakson n Gayle BishopAe__ 4_01� ACTION OF BOA%b ON Q APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE 79-UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON NNvTHE DATE SHOWN. 1 ATTESTED nc + ��_ ( C1 ,' 'q"^1 ,` ) Contact: Lorna Bastian, Health Services PHIL BATCHELOR,CLERK OF THE BOARD OF CC: Housing Authority SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR County Administrator ` RV ,DEPUTY Page 2 BACKGROUND: On October 10, the Finance Committee reviewed a report by Health Services staff on Housing for the Mentally Disabled (see attached). The Committee heard testimony from Mental Health staff, members of the Mental Health Commission and the Network of Mental Health Clients. The Committee determined that a major public education effort was necessary if the county is to be successful with increasing the available housing stock for the mentally disabled. Also, the Committee felt that greater coordination between the Housing Authority and Mental Health staff would assist in securing affordable housing for mental health clients. E L Health Services Department �►�• s .oma MENTAL HEALTH DIVISION , 595 Center Avenue, Suite 200 Martinez, California 94553 Mental Health Director (510)313-6411 Medical Director (510)370-5720 Director,Planning/Mgmt.Support (510)313-6414 �O`; — •� AdulUOlderAdult Program Chief (510)370-5460 sr`4 COU PZ Children/Adolescent Program Chief (510)313-6408 TO: Supervisor Tom Torlakson Supervisor Gayle Bishop Finance Committee FROM: Lorna Bastian Mental Health Director DATE: October 5, 1994 SUBJECT: Housing for the Mentally Disabled This report is a follow up to the Mental Health Commission annual report to the Board of Supervisors on July 12 , 1994 . At that time the Commission presented its Housing Report to the Board. The report noted that safe, affordable housing with adequate support services for people with mental disabilities is a top priority for mental health systems nationwide. We believe that this should be a top priority for Contra Costa County as well. The Housing Report. was well received by the Board and referred to your committee for consideration of the Report's recommendations. Some of the key recommendations are: • Work to increase the supply of housing which is accessible and affordable by persons with very limited incomes. • Provide a full range of support services to help maintain people in their own homes. • Help Board and Care and IMD operators to upgrade their services and prepare clients to move on to independent living. • Retain and expand transitional housing and residential treatment programs. • Increase the provision of mental health services to people who are homeless. A-371 (7/94) Contra Costa County Finance Committee October 5, 1994 Page 2 The Board of supervisors and county administration were specifically asked to: • Try to ensure an adequate, stable and dedicated funding source for mental health services. • Dedicate state and federal funds, generated by the billing for mental health services, to the provision of mental health services. • Work with the State to see that realignment funds are maintained intact for mental health. • Restore the past, and allocate the future, dollars saved by the reduction in state hospital usage to the County Mental Health budget. • Encourage development of special user, affordable housing by collaborating with cities, federal agencies and appropriate developers. • Join in advocating for an end to NIMBYism. An adequate supply of affordable, safe housing is critical to the Contra Costa County Mental Health system for many reasons. • We have reduced our use of state hospital beds in the last. year from 71 to 39 resulting in a need for alternative placements. • The success of our Managed Care Plan depends on avoiding costly hospitalizations. • Many of our clients live with aging parents. When they can no longer depend on that support, they too will need assistance from the County for their housing needs. • The clients themselves prefer and deserve independent living over institutional or semi-institutional situations. • There is also the sound fiscal argument that alternative placements are considerably less expensive than institutional care (a Napa bed costs $100, 000 a year) . Finance Committee October 5, 1994 Page 3 At the Board's direction, we have distributed copies of the Housing Report to cities, Chambers of Commerce, churches, public officials, county departments and advisory boards, libraries, and others. We believe, as was suggested by Supervisor Torlakson on July 12, that the appropriate follow-up to the distribution of the Housing Report is using the document as a public education tool. As we attempt to increase the available housing stock for the mentally disabled, we will be faced with NIMBYism. We must begin to address this problem before we are confronted with it in use permit hearings. ' Accordingly, we propose that members of the Mental Health Commission, Mental Health Division staff, and other concerned groups, e.g. , the Alliance for the Mentally Ill (AMI) and Mental Health Coalition, meet with city councils and church leaders to discuss the issues and to plan public forums on the subject. We ask for your endorsement of this effort. Finally, to accomplish the laudable, but ambitious, goal of safe, affordable housing with adequate support for all mental health clients, we will need to redirect staff time to this endeavor. We ask for your support when the personnel actions come to the Board. LB:vn