Laguna Beach to keep Be Well OC mobile mental health services, will scale back hours
Laguna Beach will continue to contract mobile mental health services from Be Well OC, as the City Council approved an amended agreement that city officials say will allow the service to continue to be provided without dipping into the general fund.
Be Well OC began working in the community in August 2023. The deployment of the big, blue van and crisis intervention specialists ran 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
The amendment, passed unanimously on May 20, will scale back the hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for two crisis intervention specialists, as the city looks to maintain daily coverage at a reduced rate.
'There was less happening at 7 in the morning, obviously, and less happening at 6 in the evening, so I don't have concerns about the overwork,' said Jeff Tennen, executive director of mobile operations for Be Well OC.
They plan to tell police and fire departments about the new hours in case any dispatch calls come in before 10 a.m., he said.
Implementing the new schedule will contribute to bringing the anticipated costs down from approximately $850,000 to $493,000, city staff said.
'The price is right for us at this particular time,' Councilwoman Sue Kempf said. 'I'm hoping that we can continue with the program because we need the help.'
A staff report noted the funding sources that will cover the cost of the program through June 2026. The city had $406,812 remaining in state appropriated funds. Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris also approved the allocation of an additional $100,000, and a private donation was made in the amount of $85,000 to support the program.
Assistant City Manager Jeremy Frimond said the city would also like to explore placing a small break area and report writing station in the Laguna Beach Community and Recreation Center, saying it would save 'tens of thousands a year.' The city plans to terminate a lease for a downtown field office.
Other cost-saving measures include plans to consolidate organizational roles by eliminating the separate program manager and case manager positions.
City officials referred to the mobile mental health services as 'not just a homeless program.' Among the 1,144 people who accessed services through the program, about 57.6% were unhoused.
From its launch date to January of this year, Be Well OC made 7,301 contacts and accrued 3,187 service hours.
Frimond said the Be Well OC program has supported the efforts of the alternative sleeping location in the canyon by 'allowing for the ASL to focus on housing navigation.' Be Well OC has stepped in on matters related to mental health, substance abuse and crisis intervention, he said.
'A large opportunity … is emergency room discharges and how this program can be there to support,' Frimond added. 'We know that that's a port of entry for certain people in this community, that we have a dumping issue there, and perhaps we can better manage this issue in the community through a compassionate program like Be Well.'
Blair Contratto, chief strategy officer of Be Well OC, said the city is 'gifting to our community an incredible resource for mental health and substance use management,' adding that increased visibility among the residents was important.
Councilman Bob Whalen asked if a percentage increase in residents' utilization of the services could be forecasted.
'I'd like that to be our goal because we have to find permanent funding for this program if we want to keep it going, and we're not going to get it from the state of California,' Contratto said.
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