Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday unanimously approved nearly $35 million in coronavirus pandemic relief grants aimed at mental health care in schools, jail and the county in general.
That’s in addition to the $30 million the county committed toward mental health care this summer.
The county will use $25 million of its American Rescue Plan Act grants to add 130 beds to its Dually Diagnosed Residential Facility, which provides court-ordered treatment for probationers; $4 million toward 60 additional beds for women seeking treatment for substance abuse issues at Lifetime Recovery; and $5.5 million to expand mental health services to students in the San Antonio Independent School District.
The latter grant will expand countywide a pilot program that was previously known as the Mobile Mental Wellness Collaborative in different school districts.
Based on its size, SAISD will receive the largest portion of the total $21 million the county set aside for school-based behavioral health funding.
The money will allow the district to expand existing mental health resources and staff such as counselors and social workers, said Beth Jones, assistant superintendent for integrated student and family support at SAISD. “It also allows us to build some family counseling … [and informational] sessions so parents can be aware of signs and symptoms or strategies to work with their kids at home.”
The county will give each school district the grant directly, which will then distribute the funding to area nonprofits or groups who are likely already working on mental health issues within schools, such as Communities in Schools.
The funding will pay for expanded services until the grant expires at the end of 2026.
“That’s one of the reasons that we partner with organizations like Communities in Schools, because what they do is, they try to find matching funds, which make it more affordable for school districts to have this staff,” Jones told reporters after the court’s meeting. “So as we move forward to the next four or five years, we’ll be looking at what services we need to keep, and then how those might be funded.”
To further advance public health, University Health System, the county’s hospital district, Bexar County will use $40 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act toward building and equipping two new health clinics located on the South Side and Southeast Side — both medically underserved areas.
The court also approved a comprehensive, three-year study of domestic violence. About $226,000 in ARPA funding will pay for the first year. The total cost is $750,000.
The county needs a comprehensive study because domestic and family violence issues are so complex, and touch on both criminal and civil courts, said Mike Lozito, director of Bexar County’s Office of Criminal Justice.
Right now, each part of the system operates in silos, “creating conflicting and confusing outcomes for the victims,” Lozito told the court. “We may not be using best practices to address family violence issues.”
The study, which will be carried out by the National Council of Juvenile and Family Courts as well as the National Center for State Courts, will add to the work that the local Collaborative Commission on Domestic Violence has already started, said Judge Monique Diaz, co-chair of the commission.
“It’s unique, it’s going to be specially tailored to our community and comprehensive,” Diaz said.
Officials said the county is on track to allocate the entirety of its ARPA funds — nearly $389 million — within the next several weeks. Federal rules say funds must be allocated by Dec. 31, 2024, and spent by the end of 2026.
