By Vanguard Staff
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the groundbreaking of the Los Angeles County Care Community, a behavioral health campus that will transform six vacant state-owned buildings into a unified mental health and housing community providing 162 housing and treatment beds.
The project is supported by a $65 million investment through the Behavioral Health Infrastructure Bond Act under Proposition 1 and is part of the state’s broader effort to expand behavioral health services and supportive housing. State officials say the project is designed to move people from the streets into treatment and stable housing while strengthening California’s behavioral health care system.
“Californians voted for action to address our mental health crisis with Proposition 1 — and we’re delivering,” Newsom said. “We’re turning vacant buildings into places of care, adding treatment and housing beds, and helping people get off our streets and into the support they need.”
The Los Angeles County Care Community campus will include two subacute psychiatric facilities totaling 32 beds funded through the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program to serve young adults ages 18–25 with significant mental health needs. The site will also feature a 70-bed interim housing facility providing wraparound mental health services.
In addition, the project will include two permanent supportive housing buildings containing 60 apartments for adults exiting homelessness, along with a shared community building providing case management, wellness services and other onsite supports.
California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Kim Johnson said the project represents a key step in the state’s effort to modernize its behavioral health system.
“Today marks a critical milestone in our commitment to transforming California’s behavioral health system,” Johnson said. “Through these investments, we are creating bold, community-driven solutions that expand access to care, promote equity, and meet people where they are. These projects reflect our values and vision for a healthier, more compassionate California.”
The project was enabled by legislation signed by Newsom in 2024. Senate Bill 1336, authored by Sen. Bob Archuleta, allows Los Angeles County to lease vacant buildings at Metropolitan State Hospital, clearing the way for the redevelopment.
State health officials say the facility is intended to provide more coordinated behavioral health services while expanding treatment capacity in a region facing significant mental health needs.
“This campus will bring care closer to home for Los Angeles County residents,” said Department of Health Care Services Director Michelle Baass. “This facility, and soon, many more like it, will provide thousands of new opportunities for treatment, stability, and a coordinated place for people to get the support they need.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said the project will convert unused public facilities into a comprehensive mental health care campus.
“These buildings are doing no one any good sitting empty,” Hahn said. “By locking arms with the state, Los Angeles County is transforming them into a mental health care village where people can get the safe, professional, and compassionate treatment and housing they desperately need.”
State officials say the project is also designed as a long-term investment in treatment and recovery services.
“This project represents a long-term, 30-year investment in expanding treatment and recovery-focused care,” said Marlies Perez, chief of the Department of Health Care Services’ Community Services Division. “It ensures that this site continues to evolve with the community, offering support, stability, and opportunity for the people who need it most.”
The project also supports California’s Path and Purpose initiative, which focuses on mental health, connection and opportunity for young men and boys. One of the campus’ secure subacute facilities will specifically serve young men ages 18–25.
Los Angeles County continues to face significant behavioral health challenges, particularly among younger residents. According to a RAND evaluation cited by the state, 37 percent of youth ages 14 to 25 reported experiencing moderate to serious psychological distress in 2024.
State officials say expanding treatment capacity and community-based support services is a critical step in addressing those needs.
Since 2021, the Department of Health Care Services has awarded $1.7 billion through the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program to expand behavioral health facilities and crisis services. Following voter approval of Proposition 1 in 2024, the department has awarded an additional $2.9 billion across 111 projects in 41 counties, creating thousands of new residential and outpatient treatment opportunities.
More than $1.18 billion in additional funding through the program’s second round of bond financing is expected to be announced later this spring.
State leaders say the broader goal is to build a comprehensive continuum of behavioral health care that includes prevention, early intervention, treatment, crisis response and long-term recovery services.
Newsom has made addressing homelessness and mental health a central policy priority since taking office. During his first State of the State address in 2019, the governor declared the issues a statewide priority and launched new efforts to expand treatment capacity and housing.
State officials say the initiative aims to address long-standing gaps in California’s behavioral health system that developed after state hospitals closed decades ago without sufficient community-based alternatives.
Today, individuals with untreated psychosis are significantly more likely to experience homelessness or become involved with the criminal legal system.
Through new investments, policy changes and expanded partnerships with local governments, state officials say California is working to rebuild its behavioral health infrastructure while expanding treatment services, supportive housing and workforce capacity.
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