HEALTH CARE AGENCY | BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT | HOUSING FACT SHEET

MHSA HOUSING
What is the MHSA Housing Program?
The MHSA Housing Program offers permanent financing (money to build or rehabilitate housing) and capitalized
operating subsidies for the development of permanent supportive housing. Orange County has been allocated $33 million
dollars that is being administered by California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) and the Department of Health Care
Services (DHCS). The Housing program will:

Expand the number of permanent supportive housing units for MHSA eligible adults, TAY, and older adults to
improve their quality of life.

Increase the affordability of housing for those MHSA eligible adults, TAY, and older adults who are homeless
.
or at risk of homelessness
Homelessness as defined by the MHSA Housing Program means: People who are living on the streets, or lacking
a fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence. This includes living in a shelter, motel, or other temporary
living situation in which the individual has no tenant rights.
Those at risk of being homeless may be:
Transitional Age Youth (TAY) exiting the child welfare or juvenile justice systems;
Individuals released or discharged from institutional settings such as:
o Crisis and transitional residential settings
o Hospitals, including acute psychiatric hospitals; psychiatric health facilities; skilled nursing facilities with a
certified special treatment program for the mentally disordered; and mental health rehabilitation centers.
o Local city or county jails
Individuals temporarily placed in a Residential Care Facility upon discharge from one of the institutional
settings cited above.
Certification by the County Mental Health Director as an individual who is receiving services from the county
mental health department and who has been deemed to be at imminent risk of being homeless.
Ways to Use MHSA Housing Program Funds
To pay for up to 1/3 of the cost to build or rehabilitate a rental housing development up to a maximum of
$121,665 per MHSA unit.
o Rental housing development is an apartment complex
o Complex must have at least five (5) MHSA units and can be integrated units or MHSA-only units
To pay to build or rehabilitate Shared Housing up to a maximum of $121,665 per unit.
o Shared Housing is a house, condo, half-plex, duplexes, triplexes and four-plexes with a maximum of five
(5) bedrooms
To provide up to $121,665 in Capitalized Operating Subsidy Reserves (COSR) for an MHSA Housing
Program-funded unit.
Required Components of an MHSA Housing Program Funded Project
One bedroom units are preferred; community room with kitchen; Full Service Partnership (FSP) staff office space;
attractive exterior that blends in with the community; some units accessible to the physically and the sensory disabled;
close to transportation, shopping, and services; Property Management experienced with special needs residents
Current Status
As of February 2013, three projects have been completed and occupied under the MHSA Housing Program using both
One-Time funds and funds administered by CalHFA: two are under construction, and another is anticipated to break
ground this spring. All projects have to meet other (non-MHSA) requirements from other funding sources. One of these
projects is for older adults and four are for adults ages 18 - 59. The last is for a combination of TAY and adults. The total
number of occupied units is now 62, and the number of units currently under construction is 44 for an anticipated total of
106 by early 2015. In addition, another adult project with 11 units dedicated to MHSA clients is about to be approved by
CalHFA and is engaged in securing the remainder of their financing. We continue to meet with developers about various
projects and fully expect to reach our goal of 185 new units of housing for our clients.
To Apply for Funding:
Applications can be downloaded from the CalHFA website at http://www.calhfa.ca.gov/multifamily/mhsa/
Applications may be submitted to CalHFA after:

600 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Ste. 510 | Santa Ana California | 92701 | (714) 834-5664 |
http://ochealthinfo.com/bhs/about/pi/mhsa|
February 2013 | Page 1 of 2

HEALTH CARE AGENCY | BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ACT | HOUSING FACT SHEET
o
o

Health Care Agency (HCA) and Orange County Community Services (OCCS) review
Approval by Behavioral Health Services (BHS) Director Mary Hale

600 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Ste. 510 | Santa Ana California | 92701 | (714) 834-5664 |
http://ochealthinfo.com/bhs/about/pi/mhsa|
February 2013 | Page 2 of 2