Press release from the County of Humboldt:

Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) has been awarded more than $43.5 million to help construct a new Sempervirens (SV) psychiatric health facility after county staff submitted a grant application that was approved by the state.

At a May 12 news conference, California Gov. Gavin Newson announced the award which comes from Proposition 1 funding.

Prop. 1, the Behavioral Health Services Act, was passed by California voters in March 2024 and replaces the Mental Health Services Act of 2004. It reforms behavioral health care funding to prioritize services for people with the most significant mental health needs while adding the treatment of substance use disorders, expanding housing interventions and increasing the behavioral health workforce.

The new ADA-accessible facility, which will be housed on Fifth Street across the street from the Humboldt County Courthouse, will be more than 21,000 square feet, include 16 psychiatric health facility beds and four crisis stabilization unit beds, and will make it possible to expand access to children and youth, as well as patients who are not ambulatory.

DHHS Director Connie Beck said, “Building a new SV will be one more puzzle piece in our local behavioral health continuum of care. This new facility will make it possible for us to provide crisis stabilization and improved trauma-informed intensive in-patient services for individuals living with serious and/or severe mental or behavioral health conditions, in a more therapeutic environment than the current facility. I am very grateful to the Governor’s Office and to staff for all the time spent on the grant application. This new facility will ensure these services remain locally available for decades to come.”

The new facility is expected to be completed by 2030. For a list of funded projects, including other local projects, click here.