REGION — Three North County nonprofits are among the recipients of the $3.3 billion in total state funding announced last week for behavioral health and substance use recovery projects.
In early 2024, California voters approved Proposition 1, which authorized a $6.38 billion general obligation bond known as the Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) to fund behavioral health and substance use treatment beds and housing.
The state announced the first round of BHCIP funding awards on May 12, with several projects from San Diego County making the cut. In North County, Casa de Amparo received $19 million for a psychiatric residential treatment facility near San Marcos, and Epidaurus Amity Foundation was allocated $31 million to renovate and expand its Vista Ranch with a 40-bed adult residential substance use disorder treatment facility.
Palomar Health Foundation in Escondido also received $50 million for its Palomar Health Behavioral Health Institute project, which will include a 120-bed acute psychiatric hospital with detox-focused beds as well as an outpatient program.
Casa de Amparo, a child abuse prevention nonprofit, will use the funds for a 16-bed psychiatric facility at their Buena Creek Road campus. The facility will offer short-term treatment to clients and community members ages 12 to 21, and is expected to open in the spring of 2028.
“We’re obviously very excited and grateful that the state has stepped in and shown that mental health is a priority for the state. As a small nonprofit, it’s hard to raise money, particularly for capital campaign projects,” said CEO Kathy Karpé.
Due to the lack of mental health treatment beds in the region, Casa de Amparo clients experiencing mental health crises currently have to be sent to hospitals for treatment, Karpé said. By comparison, the new facility will provide a continuum of care on the campus.
“We help a lot of youth that have been removed from their homes due to severe abuse and neglect. The mental health challenges for them are just extraordinary. To be able to build a specialized facility that’s really a temporary home while they stabilize, helps us get to the root of what these issues are, and they can step down to a lower level of care afterwards,” Karpé said.
Amity Foundation’s Vista Ranch currently offers addiction treatment and re-entry programs to male parolees. Their proposed project will expand the substance use disorder treatment facility at the 5-acre campus on Watson Way.
“It is exciting to see Prop 1 funds being leveraged to build a stronger and more equitable behavioral health system, keeping our communities healthy and safe through licensed residential substance use disorder treatment programs. Over three decades of doing this work, Amity Foundation has helped countless people commit to recovery, reunite with their families, and discover a sense of self-worth that gives them a second chance at living a fulfilled life,” Amity Foundation CEO Doug Bond said.
The County of San Diego also received a combined $29.7 million for a substance use recovery and treatment services facility in National City and a child crisis residential program in San Diego. Inner Tribal Wellness received $19.9 million for a wellness village in Pauma Valley.
The McAlister Institute for Treatment and Education, Inc. received $34.5 million for an adult residential substance use disorder facility, sobering center, and outpatient treatment center.
Interfaith project not funded
One closely watched North County project was unsuccessful in obtaining BHCIP funding: a 150-bed substance use disorder treatment facility proposed by Interfaith Community Services for a church site off West Mission Road.
Over the past month, the project has drawn scrutiny from community members due to its close proximity to several schools. The allocation of Prop 1 funds would have also allowed the project to move forward by right, meaning that it would have had to be approved ministerially by the city.
Interfaith CEO Greg Anglea said they will continue working to make the project a reality and expressed gratitude to San Marcos United Methodist Church, where the facility was proposed, for its partnership.
“While the outcome is disappointing, especially in the face of the urgent need for recovery services in North County, we remain steadfast in our commitment to expanding access to compassionate care across our region through collaborative partnerships,” Anglea said. “This project was always about possibility: the possibility of healing, of recovery, of new beginnings. That mission hasn’t changed. We’re continuing to explore future opportunities and will move forward with the same dedication to dignity, safety, and hope.”
Interfaith requested BHCIP funding to cover 90% of the total project cost, estimated to be between $40 million and $60 million.
San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones assured residents on May 13 that the project will not be able to move forward as a by-right at this point in time and will instead have to meet the city’s land use standards.
“The Prop 1 funds are not gonna be available, so that brings everything back to land use authority under the city of San Marcos,” Jones said.
Many residents have expressed frustration about being blindsided by the proposed project, and say the city should have done more to oppose it due to the potential risk to children. In early April, the City Council approved a memorandum of understanding with Interfaith and the church outlining operating standards for the facility, but did not discuss it at all.
Since then, over 1,500 people have signed a petition opposing the project.
“There has been a troubling lack of transparency, and the behind-closed-doors approach may meet the minimum requirements, but it betrays the trust of the people that you represent,” said resident Matthew Sembach.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated to include additional recipients of BHCIP funds and correct the age range of clients that will be accepted at Casa de Amparo’s new facility.
