On Wednesday, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced over $700 million in newly opened funding opportunities that aim to address mental illness, addiction and homelessness.
This funding will be distributed across various Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) initiatives, including 988 and Suicide Crisis Lifelines and Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC), as well as a new initiative called the Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based Treatment and Support (STREETS) Program, according to a release from HHS.
"Through more than $700 million in new investments, we are advancing President Trump's Great American Recovery Initiative and addressing the addiction and serious mental illness that fuel homelessness across America,” Kennedy said in the release. “These investments will help move people from the streets into treatment and recovery, strengthen families, save lives and make communities safer.”
Of that funding, $96 million has been earmarked for the STREETS Program, which will award eight selected communities with up to $3 million a year for four years.
These communities will be tasked with developing state-of-the-art comprehensive care systems for people who are homeless and have substance use disorders, serious mental illness, or co-occurring disorders, HHS said. The program seeks to coordinate local government, health and housing providers, law enforcement and the courts for evidence-based treatment approaches.
Another $223.1 million has been dedicated to expanding and strengthening CCBHCs through three separate grant programs: Improvement and Advancement Grants; Planning, Development, and Implementation Grants; and State Planning Grants. These grants aim to support the work of existing CCBHCs and the establishment of new CCBHCs in underserved areas.
There is also $238.6 million set aside for the 988 & Suicide Crisis lifeline, to improve response capacity across all contact methods, strengthen response capabilities in Tribal communities and offer support post-contact to prevent future crises.
Over $70 million is dedicated to mental health services and supports, and $80 million for substance use prevention, treatment and recovery. These include grants for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative - Treatment and Service Adaptation (NCTSI-Cat II), Tribal Behavioral Health Suicide Prevention, Rural Emergency Medical Services Training Program and Building Communities of Recovery Program.