Required Program Components

1. Community Partnerships
   • Must include at least one community and one behavioral health care provider agency. If there is no partnership, PSJS can assist in connecting with providers. Communities may hire their own licensed mental health worker if proper supervisory structure and licensure oversight are in place. Otherwise, a behavioral health provider agency is required.
   • Any coalition of communities applying for funding must have a signed memorandum of understanding or agreement among all participating cities. This document should outline each community’s commitment and include signatures from the mayor or trustee(s), the safety director if applicable, the police chief, and the fire chief. If a behavioral health provider agency is involved, the memorandum must state which city will hold the contract or identify the community that will assume this role if the provider is not yet known. For a single community operating alone, a letter of commitment from the mayor, manager, or trustee(s) is required. This letter must also be countersigned by the safety director if applicable, the police chief, and the fire chief.


2. Program Model
   • Only co-responder models are eligible for this funding phase. Co-responder models must include public safety professionals (Police, Fire, EMS) responding with a behavioral health specialist. They may also include behavioral health specialists responding on their own, in addition to the team’s initial response operations, for the following types of services: follow-up calls, after-hours referrals, responses to high-frequency, known individuals.
   • Care response and 9-1-1 dispatch response models are not supported at this time.


3. Program Readiness
   Before funding discussions, communities must define:
   • Personnel: Number of staff, reporting structure, job descriptions, compensation, training requirements for staff and first responders. Programs should incorporate employee assistance programming for behavioral health professionals and first responders.
   • Operations: Hours of operation, record-keeping and confidentiality policies, updated policing orders or protocols for integration
   • Call Tracking: Types of calls categorized for response, incorporation of employee assistance programming for behavioral health professionals and first responders

Applicants should show:
• Demonstrated community need through identification of calls where mental health or substance use is listed as the primary concern.
• Additional information on risk factors such as limited community access to mental health or substance use treatment


4. Budget Requirements
   • Applicants must submit a comprehensive budget detailing all program costs, including personnel, fringe benefits, equipment (e.g., radios, phones), transportation (vehicle use or mileage), and printing of program materials. If a mental health service provider is involved, all payments to that provider must be itemized.
   • A sustainability plan is required, outlining how the program will continue after County funding ends. The County reserves the right to adjust budgets to ensure equity across communities.
   • Each participating community must demonstrate a clear financial commitment in the form of public or grant funds; in-kind contributions will not be accepted. These commitments must be shown as revenue streams in the budget. Individual contributions are mandatory for eligibility.

Questions