# Understanding the Behavioral Health Crisis Care Centers Act of 2023

This bill creates a federal grant program to fund "one-stop crisis facilities" across the country—physical locations where people experiencing mental health, substance abuse, or housing crises can go to get multiple types of help in one place. Instead of bouncing between different agencies and services, someone in crisis could walk into one facility and access mental health treatment, addiction services, housing assistance, counseling, legal help, and other support services all at the same location.

The federal government would distribute $11.5 billion per year (from 2024 through 2028) to cities, counties, states, tribes, and territories to establish or expand these facilities. The money can be used to build or renovate buildings, hire and train staff, purchase equipment, and pay for the actual services provided. Importantly, the bill emphasizes that these centers should feel welcoming and home-like rather than clinical or institutional, and they should be designed with input from people who have actually experienced mental health or substance abuse crises. The facilities would work closely with police, fire departments, emergency rooms, homeless outreach teams, and community organizations to redirect people away from emergency rooms or jail and toward these crisis centers instead.

The bill requires that these facilities prioritize certain groups, including homeless individuals, youth in crisis, and people facing language or cultural barriers. It also mandates that facilities adopt a "housing first" approach for adults experiencing homelessness, meaning they prioritize getting people stable housing as part of the crisis response. All services must be provided without discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. The grants go to different types of communities based on population size, ensuring that both large cities and rural areas can access funding to build these crisis response systems.

Behavioral Health Crisis Care Centers Act of 2023

Smith, Adam

Behavioral Health Crisis Care Centers Act of 2023 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a grant program for states, Indian tribes, territories, and localities to support one-stop crisis facilities. These are facilities that provide behavioral health, substance use disorder, recovery, and related support services at a single location, as well as coordinate with other services available in the community.