BHS Grant expands Pretrial Mental Health Services

Larimer County Community Justice Alternatives was awarded $100,000 of grant funding through the Larimer County Behavioral Health Services (BHS) Impact Fund. The grant project started in April 2023 and will end in March 2024. The funding is being used by Larimer County Mental Health Intervention Pretrial Services (MHIPS) to support justice-involved people with mental health needs, including those involved in the competency process.  The grant project has expanded case management services for these clients by fostering coordination between the criminal justice and behavioral health systems.  The 2023 award is a continuation of the efforts that began with the 2022 Gary A Darling grant award of $131,311, which helped connect this population to wraparound, community-based services.  

The grant project has provided an additional mental health-focused pretrial case manager allowing many more clients to receive needed attention and support.  One of the grant objectives is to provide specialized services to at least 500 clients during the funding period.  In October 2023 at the mid-year review, 328 defendants had been served.  The grant project is on track to exceed this goal by the end of the grant period. 

The project has also furnished case managers with resources to provide wraparound support which affords these pretrial clients a better chance of staying connected to community-based services and treatment, while successfully navigating the criminal justice system. The grant has the objective to provide these clients with an average of 4 or more resources or referrals.  At the October 2023 mid-year review, clients were receiving an average of 5.68 services, which is on track to exceeding the goal.

Community Justice Alternatives is grateful for the opportunity to expand the MHIPS program and provide more resources to its clients. The grant funding from Behavioral Health Services has greatly assisted the courts including the 8th Judicial Competency Docket’s ability to effectively connect these clients with behavioral health systems and wraparound services.

To learn more about Larimer County’s MHIPS program, please visit: https://www.larimer.gov/cja/asd/pts/mhips  

To learn more about the Larimer County Behavioral Health Services Impact fund, please visit: larimer.gov/behavioralhealth