Tribes & Tribal Entities
Request for Applications (RFA) 2B Documents and Resources
BHBH Program - Tribal Entities
The BHBH Program Tribal Entities RFA provides funding to operate California bridge housing settings that will address the immediate housing needs of individuals in tribal communities who have serious behavioral health conditions and are experiencing homelessness. The Track 1 – Planning Grant is intended to facilitate engagement and community conversations to meet the immediate housing needs of such individuals, while the Track 2 – Implementation Grant is intended to launch and operate BHBH programs.
The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has engaged Advocates for Human Potential, Inc. (AHP), a consulting and research firm improving health and human services systems, to serve as the BHBH Program administrative entity. AHP and partners will offer technical assistance throughout the course of this grant.
BHBH Program Tribal Entities RFA - Round 2B
The California Department of Health Care Services is pleased to announce that it has awarded over $20 million in this round of Behavioral Health Bridge Housing (BHBH) Program funding to tribal entities for use in the planning and implementation of bridge housing and bridge housing services. DHCS received applications requesting more than $30 million in BHBH funding, exceeding the total amount of funding available for this round.
| Tribal Entity Awardees | Track | Award Amount |
| Sacred Life Recovery Services | 1 | $150,000 |
| Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation Community and Family Wellness | 1 | $150,000 |
| Bakersfield American Indian Health Project | 2 | $5,000,000 |
| Crossroads Recovery Center | 2 | $4,899,164 |
| Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation | 2 | $4,000,000 |
| Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority | 2 | $5,000,000 |
| Sacred Path Indigenous Wellness Center | 2 | $2,024,585 |
Tribal Entity BHBH Program Round 2 Awards
Through Round 2, DHCS awarded over $30 million in funds to 9 tribal entities, which will support the planning and implementation of bridge housing in tribal communities.
Homelessness in Tribal Communities
The primary focus of the BHBH Program is to help those experiencing homelessness who have serious behavioral health conditions that prevent them from accessing help and moving out of homelessness. California is home to the largest population of American Indians/Alaska Natives in the nation, approximately 720,000 individuals. Research documents a large, unmet need for new homes throughout California’s tribal lands, resulting in overcrowding and substandard housing. Sixty percent of California tribes cite homelessness and accessibility to stable housing as challenges in their communities. Serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorders (SUD) can significantly increase obstacles to exiting homelessness and establishing housing stability.
Disparities Affecting Tribal Communities
Historic systemic imbalances continue to create disparities for Native American tribes, among them the fact that over 60 percent of Native American communities have no access to high-speed internet, which severely limits their ability to access education, employment, healthcare, and other essential services. Due to historical community trauma responses, Native American communities are highly vulnerable to mental illness. In addition, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that Native Americans have the highest rates of substance use disorders in the United States, more than any other ethnicity.
Tribal people have a cultural need to be close to their traditional homelands—separation from family and culture frequently compounds symptoms of mental illness and substance use. Overcrowded, multi-generational housing set-ups are common among Tribal communities due to the general lack of access to affordable housing. There is a clear need for services, facilities, and housing to be closer to traditional homelands in the interest of communities’ systemic wellness.
DHCS’s Addressing the Opioid Crisis in American Indian & Alaska Native Communities in California: A Statewide Needs Assessment, listed barriers to treatment that included unstable housing, fragmented service delivery, and a lack of residential treatment facilities for substance use disorders. Per the recommendations of that 2019 report, providing culturally centered services, maintaining resiliency in the community, and emphasizing cultural connectedness can lead to healing an individual’s spiritual, mental, and physical strength.