08/16/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/17/2022 07:41
Published on Tuesday, August 16, 2022
CONTACT: Victor Landa, 210-884-3429
[email protected]
SAN ANTONIO (August 16, 2022) -The City Council's Public Safety Committee took a decisive step today to focus the City's mental health services community on City-wide mental health recovery in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
The Committee has been tasked with the disbursement of $26 million in federal ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) directed toward mental health recovery.
"My aim has been to listen to the community's needs and use the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds as best we can to leverage the mental health service provider network that has been in place for years," said District 6 Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda, Chair of the Public Safety Committee. "Mental Health services nonprofit organizations are on the frontlines of COVID recovery. They know the community, its needs and challenges, and are best positioned to deliver the kind of mental health support that is most needed."
City staff gathered recommendations from community members and many mental health providers from throughout the city who attended briefings or sent their suggestions directly to City Hall. The recommended disbursement framework presented to the Committee today is the result of many hours of community consultation and deliberation.
The recommendation approved by the Committee, and sent to full Council for consideration, divides the available funds into four strategic areas: