The Behavioral Health Initiative, launched by Cottage Health in 2017, this year has awarded more than $1 million in community partnership grants to 16 Santa Barbara County programs that address mental health and substance use.
Golden Inn and Village of Santa Ynez was one such recipient.
The affordable housing community, established in 2016 by the Rona Barrett Foundation, houses low-income seniors and families and offers senior residents therapy service assessments, support groups and individual counseling.
The grant selection process was guided by community input collected during Cottage Health’s Community Health Needs Assessment and Listening Tour, according to a Cottage Health spokeswoman.
Grant recipients, like the Golden Inn and Village, were shown to represent the tenets of the grant-giving initiative, working to increase access to and use of behavioral health services.
Additionally, each of the 16 programs have focused on adapting their services to the changing needs of their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the onset of the health crisis, the Rona Barrett Foundation reported serving double the number of seniors than usual, which included expanded hot food and fresh produce programs, as well as furnishing residents with basic necessities like toiletries and emotional support.
Grant recipients
Each grant recipient will receive access to technical assistance and support:
Carpinteria Children’s Project – Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) screening, therapy services, and referrals for 0-2 year olds
Child Abuse Listening Mediation – ACEs screening, therapy services, and referrals for 0-3 year olds
Doctors Without Walls-Santa Barbara Street Medicine – behavioral health services and referrals for unsheltered individuals
Family Service Agency – school-based counseling to high school students
Golden Inn and Village – therapy services for low-income senior residents through assessments, support groups, and individual counseling
Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara – case management and behavioral health services for onsite clients
New Beginnings Counseling Center – telemental health services for low-income individuals
Pacific Pride Foundation – counseling and therapy groups for people living with HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ communities
PathPoint – individualized counseling for residents in Housing Authority properties
Sanctuary Centers – psychiatric and licensed therapist services at Garden Court and for Integrated Care Clinic patients
Santa Barbara Alliance for Community Transformation (SB ACT) – school-based counseling for elementary school students
Santa Barbara County Education Office – Welcome Every Baby Family Connects family visits and referrals to behavioral health services
Storyteller Children’s Center – therapy services and comprehensive case management for preschool children and families experiencing homelessness
The Academy for Success – substance use education and referral services on high school campuses
What is Love – relationship violence crisis support and prevention trainings for students, school-based clinicians, and health teachers
Youthwell Coalition – parent, provider, and teen workshops and online youth mental health resource connections and database
YouthWell Coalition of Santa Barbara, for example, developed an eight-week quaranTEEN Workshop series in March in response to shifting needs. The coalition focuses on education, prevention, early intervention, and connecting youth and families to mental health and wellness resources.
Seventy-five plus Santa Barbara County students from seventh grade through college attended the virtual workshops each week. The program offered youth an opportunity to feel connected to other students, listen to speakers and focus on mental wellness, the spokeswoman said.
QuaranTEEN workshops will resume in September. A calendar of workshops along with links to mental health resources can be found at YouthWell.org.
To learn more about Cottage Population Health and Community Partnership Grants, visit cottagehealth.org/population-health.