In a monumental breakthrough to expand access to mental-health and addiction treatment for everyone in San Diego, from unhoused veterans to adults working to overcome addiction, the County of San Diego today was conditionally awarded $99.5-million in the second round of Proposition 1 Bond funding to develop and construct the new Behavioral Health Wellness Campus that will serve more than 20,000 residents each year.

County leaders say the project will serve as a statewide model for integrated behavioral-health infrastructure.

Proposition 1 was approved by California voters in March 2024, authorizing more than $6 billion in bonds to build new mental health and substance use treatment facilities and supportive housing. In the first round of Proposition 1 funding, San Diego County and other local partners secured $185 million to expand behavioral-health treatment capacity.

With this latest award, the County is advancing plans to build a new integrated Behavioral Health Wellness Campus in the Midway District. The state-of-the-art facility will bring mental health and substance use treatment and support services to one location — expanding regional treatment capacity and reducing reliance on emergency rooms and incarceration.

“This funding is a gamechanger. It means San Diego County can build a mental-health system in one location that prevents crises instead of just reacting to them. Our residents will no longer be forced to navigate a maze of disconnected programs in their worst moments,” said San Diego County Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer. “This is a major step forward in delivering the mental-health system our community needs — massively expanding treatment capacity with more beds, more crisis care, and more pathways to recovery so families can get help earlier and our community can be safer and healthier.”

“The stars are truly aligning. We couldn’t be more thrilled about receiving nearly $100 million in State grant funds making our vision for the Behavioral Health Wellness Campus a reality,” said Nadia Privara-Brahms, Behavioral Health Services Director for the County of San Diego. “Not only will this campus provide critical access for our Medi-Cal members through 210 new mental health and substance treatment slots, but it will be designed to be an asset to the community.”

Located on the site of the former County Health Services Complex on Rosecrans Street, the Behavioral Health Wellness Campus is expected to add 210 new treatment beds and slots to serve Medi-Cal eligible San Diegans annually, including veterans, working-age adults, and justice-involved residents. The project is estimated at $210 million and is designed to create a comprehensive hub linking mental-health treatment, substance-use recovery services, crisis stabilization, and outpatient care. It will also include a peer-focused social rehabilitation program because peers play such a central role in connecting people to care.

The proposed campus would include:

1.      Crisis Stabilization Unit — Short-term therapeutic care for adults experiencing acute mental-health crises, helping reduce emergency-department visits and jail admissions 
 

2.      Mental Health Rehabilitation Center — Long-term, 24/7 residential treatment for people living with serious mental illness 
 

3.      Peer-Focused Social Rehabilitation Program — Voluntary, peer-led recovery support in a home-like setting.

4.     Adult Residential Substance-Use Treatment Facility — Medically monitored recovery services for individuals addressing drug or alcohol dependence 
 

5.      Outpatient Community Mental Health Clinic — Preventive and ongoing care, including therapy, case management, and peer support programs 

County officials say the new campus represents a major step in modernizing San Diego’s behavioral health system — expanding treatment capacity, improving coordination across services, and helping more residents stabilize and recover before reaching crisis. 
 
Click here for project renderings: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12yGIgbIoBVr8tpWw9nCaVbKDJXsjp4cr?usp=sharing