Policy & Legislation
Governor Proposes Additional $6 Million in Budget for Mentally Ill Parolee Services
January 23, 2008As planning moves forward for implementing $4 million designated in 2007-08 within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) for "wraparound and residential services for mentally ill parolees", the governor's proposed 2008-09 state budget adds an additional $6 million to fund services for mentally ill parolees. This additional $6 million would come out of funds appropriated in AB 900, the vehicle that brokered 2007's corrections reform.
The current budget's $4 million is a result of lobbying by Housing California's Homes to End Homelessness Coalition. In order to reduce recidivism, the legislature embraced the coalition's PROMISE proposal (Program for Returning Offenders with Mental Illness Safely and Effectively), which provides homes with services ("supportive homes") for mentally ill parolees exiting state prisons. However, the governor vetoed SB 851 -- the bill that included the specific details of the PROMISE pilot program.
As a result of the veto, the coalition's advocacy efforts this year are multi-pronged:
- Ensure proper implementation of the $4 million in CDCR's current budget.
- Ensure that a second $4 million appropriation is included in the 2008-09 budget.
- Ensure passage of the reintroduced version of SB 851, to be authored by Senator Steinberg (D, Sacramento).
The CDCR is currently determining how to spend their new resources for mentally ill parolees ($4 million for the current fiscal year and $10 million proposed for 2008-09). On January 15, 2008, Housing California's Zack Olmstead and other advocates and legislative staff met with CDCR staff to stress the importance of using the funds as intended by the legislature (i.e. using the PROMISE model of flexible and integrated services and housing supports that achieved so much success under the AB 34/2034 program for homeless mentally ill persons). The meeting was productive, but much work still needs to be done to ensure this model is used.
An encouraging sign of progress is that the CDCR recently completed agreements with the federal Social Security Administration to allow persons eligible for SSI to begin the application process while in prison. This agreement should allow eligible inmates to begin receiving SSI immediately upon parole.
Contact: Zack Olmstead, (916) 447-0503 x 108 or .
