Speakers urge Solano County to stop service gaps as PEACE program funding ends; board approves $365,000 in one‑time grants

The Solano County Board of Supervisors on June 9 heard urgent appeals from local mental‑health providers and survivors who said funding transitions jeopardize care for older adults and families affected by gun violence.

At the public‑comment portion, speakers including Iman Al Yadak and Tanisha Hollins described personal losses and post‑shooting trauma and asked the board to prioritize trauma recovery and access to mental‑health services. Iman Al Yadak, who said her son Hakim was killed in 2022, said the family continues to live with ongoing trauma and called for better rehabilitation and family support services.

Representatives of Choice in Aging and NAMI Solano warned county officials that the PEACE program, which provides early outreach and supports for older adults, will end July 1 amid a statewide transition from the Mental Health Services Act to the Behavioral Health Services Act. Debbie Toth, president and CEO of Choice in Aging, said the organization had raised nearly $100,000 to cover two months of services while awaiting an RFP and said staff and clients deserve clearer timelines. John McKenzie and Deb Dimelo of NAMI Solano told the board the grassroots nonprofit is facing closure without emergency support and urged the county to use contingency funds or other mechanisms to sustain local outreach and crisis services.

Board staff said the county set aside $250,000 for emergency needs in earlier budget actions and that the Community Investment Fund has an emergency application process; staff offered to link NAMI to that process. Denise Winters, deputy director managing the CIF process, presented the staff recommendation to allocate $365,000 in one‑time grants for fiscal year 2026–27 across five nonprofits whose proposals scored highest in the competitive review.

The board approved the funding package on a 4‑0 vote. Recommended awards included $75,000 to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano, $75,000 to Planned Parenthood Northern California for coordinated behavioral‑health services, $65,000 to Innovative Health Solutions for housing navigation for pregnant Black individuals, $75,000 to Food is Free Bay Area, and $75,000 to Real Vista Care for substance‑use and school‑based mental‑health programming. Staff corrected one recommended amount during the presentation, noting Innovative Health Solutions’ recommended award was $65,000, not $75,000.

Supervisor comments after public comment underscored the tension: members expressed sympathy for NAMI Solano’s situation and asked staff to expedite any emergency application review while also supporting the competitive CIF process intended to produce measurable outcomes.

The board directed staff to proceed with the recommended contracts and delegated authority to the county administrator, with concurrence of county counsel, to execute resulting agreements. For now, the county’s public‑comment record shows both immediate concern about service gaps and a staffed path—through CIF emergency funds and the regular competitive awards—toward short‑term support.

What happens next: staff said the emergency application process is available to at‑risk nonprofits and offered to work directly with NAMI Solano and other partners to determine eligibility and timing. The board will return on June 23 for further fiscal‑related matters on the agenda.