Two local elected leaders are teaming up on a plan to bring behavioral health workers directly to homeless residents living in shelters. District 2 Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong unveiled her proposal alongside San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan on Friday. The plan calls for adding another team of workers from the county Valley Homeless...
Santa Clara County opens walk-in clinic for substance disorders
While Santa Clara County is facing unprecedented revenue losses due to federal health care cuts, one newly opened clinic may survive. Santa Clara Valley Healthcare’s Compassionate Addiction Services and Support (COMPASS) Clinic opened Sept. 2, with federal grant and opioid settlement funds contributing between $2 million to $3 million. The substance use recovery facility is the...
Santa Clara County opens new residential mental health facility
A new residential treatment facility in Santa Clara County will provide people with a safe place to heal and recover. County officials announced the opening of 1072-1082 Vermont St. in San Jose, known as Vermont House, at a Thursday news conference. The two houses can hold up to 15 people who have a mental illness...
Santa Clara County critical of plan to arrest homeless people
Despite San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s claim his policy to arrest homeless people for refusing shelter is meant to connect them to treatment, there isn’t a plan for how it’s supposed to work. Since Mahan rolled out his “Responsibility to Shelter” policy in March, Santa Clara County officials and a former judge have pushed back on the...
Mental health facility expands San Jose services
An upcoming mental health inpatient facility is set to treat dozens of teens and adults in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood, though nearby residents are raising concerns. The San Jose Planning Commission unanimously approved plans March 26 for the conversion of an existing office building at 913 Willow St. to a 48-bed mental health inpatient...
San Jose residents unaware of non-police crisis services
San Jose officials are voicing concern about how to keep paying for a non-police response program for mental health emergencies. Advocates doubt the city is even trying to make it work. It’s been nearly three months since the city committed to funding 40 more hours for a mobile mental health crisis team under Santa Clara...
San Jose tenant illegally ran an unlicensed independent living home
A San Jose landlord has filed a complaint to evict a tenant operating an unlicensed business at her property without her knowledge. Nelson Muan signed a lease agreement with Angela To in 2013. He then, unbeknownst to her, illegally converted the property on 659 N. 13th St. into an unlicensed independent living home. Muan converted...
Santa Clara County CARE program begins mental health treatment
As the sweeping promises of a new behavioral health court take shape slower than expected across California, Santa Clara County is one of the last to roll it out. A new civil court process known as the CARE Program — or CARE Court — allows anyone from a family member to a first responder to...
Santa Clara County launches TRUST direct crisis hotline
After some trial and error, Santa Clara County just made it easier to request a non-police response for someone in mental health crisis. Officials have rolled out a direct, 24/7 hotline to reach the Trusted Response Urgent Support Team (TRUST), a mental health crisis team that sends out vans across the county to de-escalate emergencies...
Santa Clara County courts redirect mental health cases
Although Santa Clara County was one of the first in the nation to create a behavioral health court, criminal offenders with mental health and drug problems sit in jail for months before getting treatment. That could change this week. County officials on Monday launched a pilot program with a separate court calendar that could fast-track...