First Prop 1-Funded Behavioral Health Facility Opens in San Rafael: 6,948 Beds and 27,868 Treatment Slots Delivered Beyond the Promise

San Rafael, Marin County, California — The Office of the Governor announced in an October 30 release that the first behavioral health facility funded by voter-approved Proposition 1, the Ritter Center in San Rafael, is now open, ahead of schedule. Governor Gavin Newsom announced the milestone at a news conference in the city that morning.

According to the release, in the two years since voters approved the measure, California has delivered 6,948 residential treatment beds and 27,868 outpatient treatment slots — 102% of the beds and 104% of the treatment slots promised. The Ritter Center is the first Bond BHCIP Round 1 project to begin serving Californians, with a community mental health clinic, office-based opioid treatment and outpatient substance use disorder services; its 1,412 outpatient treatment slots are projected to serve more than 7,000 individuals annually.

The Governor's office said the Prop 1 Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Bond has already funded 176 projects across 334 facilities. Since 2021, BHCIP has awarded a total of $6.1 billion across 436 projects and 543 facilities, which will create 9,570 new beds and 44,863 new outpatient slots projected to serve more than 5.4 million individuals annually. The state expects 13 more BHCIP-funded facilities to open by the end of 2026, with all construction complete by 2028.

The Governor also announced new accountability actions the same day, reinvesting more than $146 million in Bond BHCIP funding into three behavioral health projects. The Signature Healthcare Services project in Shasta County will create 107 beds supporting psychiatric care, crisis stabilization, social rehabilitation and residential treatment across a 10-county region. The Cangress Project in Los Angeles County will build a 50-bed facility in the Skid Row community offering peer-led behavioral health support and stabilization services. The Compatior, Inc. Project in Los Angeles County will create 30 residential substance use disorder treatment beds and 120 outpatient treatment slots.

"When I took office, I committed to creating a statewide strategy to help move people off our streets and into housing and treatment. Over the course of this administration, we've built that framework — and we're delivering results, including the largest two-year drop in homelessness in over a decade," Newsom said. "In 2024, voters demanded action, results, and accountability with the passage of Prop 1. Today's announcement is another major step in reversing a crisis decades in the making, and we're just getting started. We now have more than 100% of the beds and treatment slots we promised to voters, ahead of schedule."

"This is what meaningful progress looks like: new facilities opening their doors, more treatment options becoming available, and more Californians getting connected to the care they need," said California Health and Human Services Agency Secretary Kim Johnson. "Every BHCIP project reflects the commitment of local communities and partners to strengthen California's behavioral health system," said Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Director Michelle Baass. "We are expanding access to care while ensuring public dollars are used responsibly and effectively."

Proposition 1, approved by California voters in 2024, issued $6.4 billion in behavioral health bonds to expand community treatment facilities and services-linked housing. Preliminary figures released by the Governor's office this week show unsheltered homelessness in California declining for a second consecutive year, down nearly 13% since 2024. Californians can track their community's progress on mental health, homelessness and housing at the state accountability website.

Related: 直播回放：纽森在马林县宣布第1号提案新里程碑：行为健康转型推进，无家可归人数创纪录下降

Related: 加州无家可归人数连续第二年下降：2026年初步数据无庇护者较2024年降近13%，已略低于2019年水平

Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)

Photo: 图：San Rafael 市中心 Fourth Street 与 C Street 路口（资料图），首家第1号提案资助设施 Ritter Center 位于该市。Sarah Stierch 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC0。 / Photo: Downtown San Rafael at Fourth Street and C Street (file photo); the city is home to the Ritter Center, the first Prop 1-funded facility. Photo by Sarah Stierch, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Latest in California

Man Killed in Early-Morning Crash in Westminster; Streets Closed for About Seven Hours2026-11-01All 191 Orange County Vote Centers Open Through Election Day2026-11-01