Health Agencies
The BHBH Program offers funding to county behavioral health agencies (BHAs) to expand housing options for individuals who are experiencing homelessness and have a serious behavioral health condition, including serious mental illness (SMI) and/or substance use disorder (SUD). These funds will support a variety of housing models, including tiny homes, interim housing, rental assistance, and assisted living settings, all aimed at providing safe and stable housing.
In addition to covering essential operational costs for these housing settings, the funds will support efforts to ensure participants’ housing stability, retention, and overall wellness. Each bridge housing setting will include voluntary supportive services designed to help participants secure and maintain housing, manage the symptoms of their behavioral health conditions, and focus on their recovery goals. To date, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has awarded two rounds of funding to county BHAs.
Round 3: County BHAs - Strategic Enhancements
Round 1, released by DHCS in summer 2023, awarded more than $900 million to county BHAs across the state. Fifty-seven county BHAs have received a Notice of Award and begun to provide BHBH Program services to 56 communities, statewide. Implementation of Round 1 will continue through June 2027.
In Round 3, DHCS released an additional $132.5 million to county BHAs to strategically enhance existing BHBH programs. This round of funding, awarded in summer 2024, was competitive. The ten awarded county BHAs can use the funds to expand existing BHBH projects, develop new BHBH projects, or both. Implementation of Round 3 began in late 2024 and will continue through June 2026.
The map below provides information for each of the 56 county behavioral health agencies participating in the BHBH Program. This includes award amounts, services funded, and program contact information. “Bed counts per funding category” reflect the total number of beds that will be in operation over the grant period. New beds created through infrastructure funds are also noted. Not all grantees have allocations in all categories. For program-level data, please see the BHBH Program Data Dashboard.
How to use the map: Click on any county or select a county from the dropdown menu to find information related to funding, services, and contact information. You can also see which grantees have funding in one or more categories in the list of services by deselecting All and choosing the relevant category or categories. Questions about the interactive map should be sent to the BHBH Program Help Desk.
According to 2024 Point-in-Time estimates, nearly one-half (45 percent) of the nation’s unsheltered population resides in California. Statewide, 123,974 individuals — two-thirds of California’s total homeless population — are living without shelter. Many live with significant behavioral health conditions that can make it more difficult to access and maintain housing.
In 2024, 44,628 (24 percent) people experiencing homelessness in California reported an SMI, and 42,949 (23 percent) reported an SUD. However, because these figures rely on self-reports, the prevalence of SMI and SUD may be significantly higher. Serious behavioral health conditions can pose a significant obstacle to exiting homelessness and establishing housing stability.
The BHBH Program is helping address these challenges by providing flexible funding to create and expand housing options with behavioral health support. By combining immediate housing with access to care, the BHBH Program helps participants take critical steps toward recovery, stability, and long-term housing success.