Legislative Services

The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is expected to release a Request for Applications (RFA) for County-Based Community Collaboratives to construct, expand or remodel specific mental health facilities to support local area needs in February. Counties and other eligible applicants will have only 30 days to respond to the RFA.

The 88th Legislature appropriated $100 million for this one-time grant program in Senate Bill 30 by Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), the supplemental appropriations for the 2022-23 state budget. The grant program does not cover the operational costs of running the facilities. Also, a grant award may be used to construct only:

• Jail diversion facilities.
• Step down facilities.
• Permanent supportive housing (a facility that provides this service).
• A crisis stabilization unit.
• A crisis respite unit.

The grantee must provide a local match at least equal to the highest of the following:

• 25% of the grant amount if the collaborative includes a county with a population of less than 100,000.
• 50% of the grant amount if the collaborative consists of a county with a population of at least 100,000 but less than 250,000.
• 100% of the grant amount if the collaborative includes a county with a population of 250,000 or more.

For more about this grant program and its requirements, monitor the HHSC Open Grant Opportunities webpage. The RFA may include the minimum and maximum grant awards for a project, additional details on eligible expenses and matching requirements, other documentation, and an agency point of contact. When the RFA is published, TAC Legislative Services will post it on TAC’s Grant Opportunities webpage.

For more on this and other grant opportunities, please visit the Texas Association of Counties' Grant Opportunities webpage, or contact Megan Molleur or Zelma Smith.