To: Board of Supervisors
From: Probation
Agenda Section: Consent
Vote Requirement: Majority
SUBJECT:
title
Memorandum of Understanding between Humboldt County Probation Department and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), to Fund 2.0 DHHS Mental Health Clinicians to Perform Work Within the Humboldt Bridges to Success (HBTS) Program in an Estimated Amount of $593,347 for Fiscal Years 2025-26 and 2026-27
end
RECOMMENDATION(S):
Recommendation
That the Board of Supervisors:
1. Approve and authorize Chief Probation Officer, Coral Sanders, and Humboldt County Health and Human Services Director, Connie Beck, to execute the attached Memorandum of Understanding for the funding of 2.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) Mental Health Clinicians for the Humboldt Bridges to Success (HBTS) program; and
2. Authorize Chief Probation Officer, Coral Sanders, and Humboldt County Health and Human Services Director, Connie Beck, to execute any and all subsequent amendments to the attached Memorandum of Understanding after review and approval by County Counsel, Risk Management, and the County Administrative Office.
Body
STRATEGIC PLAN:
This action supports the following areas of your Board’s Strategic Plan.
Area of Focus: Core Services/Other
Strategic Plan Category: 9999 - Core Services/Other
DISCUSSION:
The Humboldt Bridges to Success (HBTS) program was originally developed through a Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) grant and led to the formation of regionally based crisis-triage teams. These teams, made up of county-hired Mental Health Clinicians and school district-hired staff, provide crisis response and linkage to services to students throughout the county. Over the past five years the program has serviced over 1,500 students and has been an important resource for schools to have easy and quick access to mental health services.
The grant that funded the HBTS program came to an end in November, 2022. Unspent funds from previous years enabled staff to continue through the end of the of fiscal year 2022-23. Other grant opportunities became available, and the program was awarded Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) funds to continue funding most of the school-district hired positions. There was however, no funding for the 6.0 FTE Mental Health Clinician positions and the Supervising Mental Health Clinician position that are hired through Humboldt County Behavioral Health.
On Feb. 23, 2023, a proposal was made to the Multi-Agency Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (MAJJCC) asking for funds to pay for 2.0 FTE Mental Health Clinicians for fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25, the motion passed, and at the meeting of March 12, 2024, your Board approved this Memorandum of Understanding between the two departments.
The Department of Health and Human Services returned once again to the Multi-Agency Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (MAJJCC) on May 22, 2025, to propose another 2-year funding agreement for 2.0 FTE Mental Health Clinicians. Unfortunately, there was not a sufficient quorum at that meeting to vote on this item and it was tabled until the following meeting on Aug. 28, 2025. There it was presented to the council who voted to pass the motion for another two years of funding. The estimated cost of funding these positions for FY 2025-26 is $289,439.
SOURCE OF FUNDING:
1100202 Probation Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act Allocation (JJCPA) (Fund No. 3741-000-810515)
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
|
Expenditures (1100-202) |
FY25-26 |
FY26-27 Projected* |
FY27-28 Projected* |
|
Budgeted Expenses |
$289,439 |
$303,911 |
|
|
Additional Appropriation Requested |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Total Expenditures |
$289,439 |
$303,911 |
|
*Projected amounts are estimates and are subject to change.
|
Funding Sources (1100-202) |
FY25-26 |
FY26-27 Projected* |
FY27-28 Projected* |
|
General Fund |
|
|
|
|
State/Federal Funds |
|
|
|
|
Fees/Other |
|
|
|
|
Use of Fund Balance |
$289,439 |
$303,911 |
|
|
Contingencies |
|
|
|
|
Total Funding Sources |
$289,439 |
$303,911 |
|
*Projected amounts are estimates and are subject to change.
Narrative Explanation of Financial Impact:
Humbolt County Probation has over the past 5 fiscal years made grants available, for the purpose of juvenile diversion, to community-based organizations using trust fund balance comprised of unspent Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act (JJCPA) growth payments from prior years. The final grant year was FY 2023-24 and there is, at this time, no plans to open additional Requests for Proposal to award grants for this purpose. The Department of Health and Human Services came to the MAJJCC asking for funding to be able to continue the Humboldt Bridges to Success program (HBTS), which was a good use of juvenile justice crime prevention act funding.
The estimated cost for these 2.0 FTE Mental Health Clinicians in FY 2025-26 is $289,439 which has already been included in the Justice Crime Prevention Act budget unit of 1100-202 for fiscal year 2025-26, therefore no supplemental budget is required at this time. The estimated cost for FY 2026-27 is $303,911, though that estimate could change by the time next year’s budget is proposed. The 2.0 FTE are allocated within DHHS - Behavioral Health (1170-424), which is the budget unit where funds will be transferred.
Funding for this agreement is available in the Law Enforcement Services Fund (Fund No. 3741), JJCPA subaccount, which has a current balance of $2,424,018. There is enough funding available to fund this contract through FY 2026-27.
STAFFING IMPACT:
|
Position Title |
Position Control Number |
Monthly Salary Range (1A-E Step) |
Additions (Number) |
Deletions (Number) |
|
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
0 |
0 |
Narrative Explanation of Staffing Impact:
There is no net staffing impact. The 2.0 FTE Mental Health Clinicians funded with these JJCPA funds were positions already allocated in the fiscal year 2025-26 budget. This agreement is simply to provide funding for these 2.0 FTEs now that the original funding source has become unavailable. There are no additions to deletions to the current staffing table.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Board may opt not to approve this agreement however that is not recommended. Humboldt Bridges to Success staff provide the critical services of short-term, school-based mental health intervention and support to students who are in crisis or at risk of crisis. Without this funding, the program would not be able to continue current operations.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Memorandum of Understanding
2. Draft MAJJCC Minutes - August 28, 2025
3. JJCPA Budget for HBTS Clinicians Proposal
PREVIOUS ACTION/REFERRAL:
Meeting of: March 12, 2024
File No.: 24-231