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SACRAMENTO (October 3, 2024) – The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) Thursday awarded $167 million in grant funding to 27 government and community-based organizations to provide mental health services, substance-use disorder treatment, and diversion programs in local communities.

The funding comes from Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved initiative that reduced the penalties for some nonviolent crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and directed the state incarceration savings to be used to help system-involved people rehabilitate their lives.

This grantee cohort represents the fourth round of three-year grants the BSCC has awarded. Since 2014, Proposition 47 grants have totaled more than $490 million to fund programs such as housing assistance, substance-use disorder and mental health treatment, job training, and civil legal services, many of which are a barrier to employment and housing.

“Our Proposition 47 grant program is making a positive impact in our community through meaningful interventions-there is no doubt these programs are changing lives,” said Board Chair Linda Penner. “It’s exciting to continue this funding to help support these diverse efforts and encouraging to see the kind of services they will provide.”

Since its inception, Proposition 47 savings have created approximately $800 million in available funding, with 65% of state savings going towards mental health treatment, substance use disorder treatment and diversion programs, 25% going to K-12 schools, and 10% going to victims services.

In the latest round of funding, grantees include:

• The City of Anaheim, which will receive $6 million to continue the Anaheim Collaborative Court Evaluating Strategies and Solutions (ACCESS), a pre-trial diversion program for unhoused people with substance use or mental health disorders. ACCESS aims to create cultural change by providing meaningful interventions through a multi-disciplinary team.
• The City of Seaside Recreation Services, which will receive $6 million to enable culturally appropriate diversion and case management services for juveniles and adults. Services will include in-jail clinical treatment plans, therapy, as well as guidance and support. Reintegration services will include petitions for reclassification or dismissal, family reunification and restorative justice negotiations, transitional housing assistance, acquisition of documentation to access jobs, and referrals to training and jobs.
• The County of Riverside Department of Housing and Workforce Solutions, which will receive $8 million to provide field-based whole-person medical care including substance and mental health services to justice system impacted persons who are homeless by fostering long-term recovery and stability.
• The San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, which will receive $8 million to support the Housing, Expungement and Recovery through Treatment and Support Services Program, a culturally responsive program focused on serving a priority population of criminal justice-involved adults with substance abuse disorder and/or mental health issues.
• The Santa Cruz County Office of Education, which will receive $7.1 million to support Project Achieving Success through Community, Education, and Nurturing Development (ASCEND), which combines the efforts of all Santa Cruz County law enforcement agencies with several community-based organizations to implement a diversion program for juvenile offenders, ages 12 to 17 years, who have been arrested and charged with or convicted of a nonviolent criminal offense and have a history of mental health issues and/or substance use disorders.

In addition to approving the Proposition 47 grantee awards, Chair Penner also welcomed three new members to the Board: San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus, San Francisco Police Chief William “Bill” Scott, and Lassen County Chief Probation Officer Jennifer Branning, and Dr. Karen Lai. Along with the appointments of the new members, Governor Gavin Newsom also recently reappointed Fresno County Probation Chief Kirk Haynes. Allison Ganter, the newly appointed In-Custody Death Review Director, also addressed the Board.

The BSCC provides a variety of data dashboards, including Proposition 47 grantee metrics, as well as recently released reports noting the multitude of successful outcomes for programs supported by the grant funding. A statewide evaluation released in February 2024 indicated that recidivism was cut by more than half for low-level offenders in Proposition 47 programs.

The BSCC provides services to the county adult and juvenile systems through inspections of county jails and juvenile detention facilities, technical assistance on local issues, promulgation of regulations, training standards for local correctional staff, and the administration of a wide range of public safety, re-entry, violence reduction, and rehabilitative grants to state and local governments and community-based organizations.

For more on Proposition 47 funding, or any other BSCC program, please contact Communications Director Jana Sanford-Miller, jana.sanford-miller@bscc.ca.gov.

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