SUBMITTED ARTICLE
SOUTH COUNTY — Monterey County Health Department’s Behavioral Health Bureau has been awarded $6 million from the State of California Board of State and Community Corrections. The funding is from a voter initiative that reduces felonies to misdemeanors for certain low-level crimes and directs the savings to rehabilitative programs.
The funded project, titled “No Zip Code Left Behind,” will bring substance use disorder treatment services and expand existing mental health services to underserved south Monterey County. Two new service sites will be established in King City to provide substance use disorder treatment, serving a minimum of 100 individuals per year.
Supervisor Simone Salinas was ecstatic to hear about the Prop 47 funding approval of the application for Monterey County.
“This project will begin to fill the gaps for substance use disorder services in south Monterey County,” Salinas said.
Also funded as part of this grant is a centrally located sobering center, job training, civil legal services, restorative justice and case management.
“This project involved extensive collaboration with south county leadership and local law enforcement as well as our south county mental health commission sub-committee, which has been working for the last few years to address the inequity in south county,” said Dr. Amie Miller, Behavioral Health director. “Obtaining this grant was possible because it built upon years of planning and work with local stakeholders who have clearly articulated the need for services in their community.”
Miller added, “The sobering center funded with this grant represents a new opportunity to divert people from jail and into treatment — we have been appreciative of the support from local law enforcement, especially the Sheriff’s Office as we plan for this innovative project.”
Monterey County was one of 23 awardees for this first round of funding from Prop 47.
