CHICO, Calif. – Mental health services in Butte County will soon change as California shifts from the Mental Health Services Act to the Behavioral Health Services Act.
Starting July 1, millions of dollars in state funding will be reallocated to a new category under behavioral health. Shifting the focus from community-based mental health programs to housing, drug abuse treatment, and early intervention services.
The change is a result of Proposition 1, which passed in 2024. Funding priorities will move away from some community-based mental health programs.
The Iverson Wellness and Recovery Center held what could be its last wellness fair on Friday, as the center is expected to close after losing its funding.
The fair brought together many local wellness services; seven of them will lose funding because of the change.
“Those folks really need a place to go, and there’s been some concern, right, in our community knowing that that’s not going to be available after the next six weeks,” said Breann Arbogast, program manager of the Iverson Wellness and Recovery Center.
Craig Parks, who is living with schizophrenia, relies on the center’s services. “It’s a very positive place, I get to connect – I’ve made a lot of friends here, and we really need this place,” Parks said.
Arbogast encourages community members who are concerned to contact their county supervisor to see if they can help.
Carrie Powers, the assistant director of children and family services for Northern Valley Catholic Social Service, is also concerned about the reallocation of funding.
“I know the effect is going to be immediate, and I fear that it’s going to be long-term,” Powers said. “There’s really nothing in place as of now to pick up that peer-led support that is really critical.”
Sam Casale, the senior program manager with the Butte County Department of Behavioral Health, said the programs that are losing funding do good work and are impactful for the community. However, the department has no choice but to make the changes to comply with state regulatory changes.
Casale said the reallocation will be about 20% to 30% of behavioral health’s total budget. This fiscal year’s behavioral health budget was more than $125 million, so 20% to 30% would be between $25 million and $38 million.
The Behavioral Health Advisory Board is holding a public hearing on May 20 to discuss the county’s annual plan for the Behavioral Health Services Act. That meeting will be from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Butte County Department of Behavioral Health.