State allots $3.8 M for mental health programs
Monetary resources available to help keep mentally ill out of jail
FROM STAFF REPORTS Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

Florida counties will soon have access to money to help keep their mentally ill citizens out of jail. The passage of HB 1477 during the 2007 legislative session created the Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant Program. The program allots $3.8 million in grants to assist counties in reducing the number of individuals with substance abuse disorders and mental illnesses in local jails and state prisons. The program requires the Florida Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation to establish a statewide grant review committee to review the applicants. The Florida Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation is charged with making recommendations annually to the Governor and the Legislature on policies designed to improve coordination and effectiveness of the state's publicly funded mental health and substance abuse systems.

The Criminal Justice, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Reinvestment Grant Program was created to provide funding to counties to plan, implement or expand initiatives. The initiatives should increase public safety, avert increased spending on criminal justice and improve the accessibility and effectiveness of treatment services for adults and juveniles who have a mental illness, substance abuse disorder, or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders and who are in, or at risk of entering, the criminal or juvenile justice systems.

Two types of grants will be available through this program; one-year planning grants with a maximum grant award of $100,000, and three-year implementation and expansion grants with a maximum grant award of $1,000,000. Interested persons should contact their Board of County Commissioners to make them aware of this grant opportunity. A county may also join with one or more other counties to apply for a grant. The application will be available Aug. 21.

Additional information can be found on the Florida Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation website at www.samhcorp.org.

The Florida Substance Abuse and Mental Health Corporation is a non-profit corporation created by the Legislature to oversee the state's publicly funded substance abuse and mental health services. The Governor, President of the Senate and Speaker of the House appoint its 12 directors.

The corporation is charged with making recommendations annually to the Governor and the Legislature on policies designed to improve coordination and effectiveness of the state's publicly funded mental health and substance abuse systems. For more information visit www.samhcorp. org.