FORT BRAGG, CA., 9/27/24 – Resources are limited on the Mendocino Coast when it comes to the complex intersectionality of homelessness, mental health and crime. Limited resources often lead to untreated and unhoused individuals being booked in jail instead of receiving the treatment and dignity they deserve to be healthy and housed.
A $2.5 million grant awarded to two coastal agencies seeks to help solve that challenge by providing unhoused individuals, including those with mental and behavioral health challenges, the care they need to avoid incarceration and rebuild their lives, including securing safe housing. According to the 2024 Mendocino County Point-in-Time Count, 121 individuals are currently unhoused on the coast.
The state grant was awarded to the Fort Bragg Police Department (FBPD) and the Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center (MCHC), the leading provider of shelter and services to unhoused individuals on the coast. It will benefit the Care Response Unit (CRU), a joint program operated by FBPD and MCHC. The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is also joining the program to serve individuals beyond FBPD’s service area.
CRU provides direct outreach to unhoused people on the coast, offering wraparound case management and the services individuals need ranging from medical care to housing. The grant will expand the program beyond the borders of Fort Bragg, to serve unhoused individuals living in rural and isolated parts of the coast, while still serving the city.
According to FBPD Chief Neil Cervenka, the program was the brainchild of Captain Thomas O’Neal in 2022. “Over the past two years, CRU has proven a successful model and grown to be a holistic answer to many of the social struggles law enforcement is tasked with solving,” said Cervenka.
The $2.5 million is funded by Proposition 47, which passed in 2014 with the goal of reducing the number of people sent to prison, according to the nonprofit nonpartisan Center on Juvenile & Criminal Justice. The proposition reduced low-level offenses, like drug possession or theft valued at under $950, from felonies to misdemeanors, resulting in a reduction of prison overpopulation and a savings of $816 million. Half of the saved monies have been reinvested in a competitive grant program that supports community- and law enforcement-led efforts that support the proposition’s goal.
According to the FBPD, the grant will be split two ways. FBPD will receive $1 million to hire a third CRU staff member to expand unit services in rural areas ranging from Albion to Westport. The grant will also help fund a part-time administrative assistant and additional program operating costs.
The Mendocino Coast Hospitality Center will receive $1.5 million to expand its behavioral health services outside of Fort Bragg. Those services include therapy, rehabilitation and case management. The grant will also help procure temporary and transitional housing for CRU clients.
The grant funds will make a significant impact on the coast, said Fort Bragg City Manager Isaac Whippy. “The CRU has become an integral part of how we approach public safety,” he said. “By addressing complex social challenges like homelessness and mental health, the CRU program has made a real difference in our community.”
He’s particularly excited about the new involvement of the Sheriff’s Office, which will allow CRU to serve more people. “What sets this program apart is its ability to provide not only safety but also compassion, treating people with the respect and dignity they deserve in difficult times,” he said. “This partnership allows us to better serve our community while easing the burden on law enforcement officers, letting them focus on their core duties.”