The Los Angeles County Mental Health System's Community Services And Supports Plan 

In November 2004, California voters passed Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act. The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) gives money to counties to help people and families who have mental health needs.

To access these funds, counties have to develop 5 different substantive plans (in addition to a plan to plan). The first substantive plan is called the Community Services and Supports (CSS) plan. As a general statement of focus, the State Department of Mental Health requires that this plan focus on people in our community who have the most severe and persistent mental illnesses or serious emotional disturbances, including children and families, transition age youth, adults, and older adults, who are at risk of homelessness, jail, or being put or kept in other institutions because of their mental illness. The plan also must provide help to ethnic and racial communities and other communities who have difficulty getting the help they need for themselves or their families when they have serious mental health issues.

The final Community Services and Supports plan submitted by Los Angeles County to the State will have a more elaborate structure and supporting analysis as required by the final guidelines issued on August 1 by the State Department of Mental Health. This first draft follows a different structure, intended to present the current consensus and open questions among the delegates in a straightforward manner to facilitate public understanding and feedback. (Excerpted from Introduction)