Yes on California Proposition 2

November 2018 election

Prop 2 would allow the state to use existing mental health funds to pay for housing for homeless people with mental illness. This recognizes the importance of stable housing for helping people with mental illness who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Increasingly, homeless shelters incorporate mental health treatment, such as Navigation Centers in San Francisco.

Beyond homelessness and mental illness, Prop 2 is a good example of the benefits of opening up restrictive funding. Current limitations on the mental health funding have led many counties to simply not deploy it, as standalone mental health becomes less common. Just as the set-asides in Propositions 1, 3, and 4 keep the General Fund from being flexible, the reverse-set-aside in Prop 2 gives more flexibility to tackle a challenging problem.

Vote for Prop 2 to incorporate the important housing lever into mental health treatment.