Hudson county behavioral health - community safety coalition - - hudson county behavioral health and community safety coalition (BH-CSC) bridgeway behavioral health services will establish the…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services) awarded Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services A NJ Nonprofit Corporation $750,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532).

Bridgeway will establish the Hudson County Behavioral Health and Community Safety Coalition, a countywide initiative formalizing partnerships among behavioral health, healthcare, education, public safety, child welfare, justice, and community organizations. The coalition will serve youth and families affected by crime, violence, and trauma through shared governance, standardized referral pathways, trauma-informed practices, and coordinated service delivery. The population of focus is youth and young adults ages 10–29 who have experienced, witnessed, or are otherwise affected by crime, violence, and community disorder, and their families. Priority populations include young people with behavioral health conditions or elevated risk, school disengagement, homelessness or family instability, and current or prior involvement in child welfare, juvenile justice, crisis response, or other public systems. Direct services will include trauma-informed outpatient behavioral health treatment, care coordination, recovery supports, family peer support, and referrals to education, vocational, and community resources.

The award period runs from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031, with place of performance in Hoboken, New Jersey.

Hudson county behavioral health - community safety coalition - - hudson county behavioral health and community safety coalition (BH-CSC) bridgeway behavioral health services will establish the hudson county behavioral health and community safety coalition, a countywide initiative that formalizes and strengthens partnerships among behavioral health, healthcare, education, public safety, child welfare, justice, and community organizations serving youth and families affected by crime, violence, and trauma. Through shared governance, standardized referral pathways, trauma-informed practices, and coordinated service delivery, the project will strengthen community capacity by creating a coordinated behavioral health and community safety network that improves access to care while promoting recovery, resilience, and community safety. The project will serve hudson county, new jersey, where youth and families frequently interact with schools, healthcare providers, behavioral health services, child welfare, law enforcement, and crisis response systems that are not consistently connected through standardized referral pathways or coordinated follow-up. As a result, many move between systems without seamless access to care or coordinated follow-up. The project addresses this capacity GAP by strengthening coordination across existing systems. The population of focus is youth and young adults ages 10-29 who have experienced, witnessed, or are otherwise affected by crime, violence, and community disorder, and their families. Priority populations include young people with behavioral health conditions or elevated risk, school disengagement, homelessness or family instability, and current or prior involvement in child welfare, juvenile justice, crisis response, or other public systems. Direct services will include trauma-informed outpatient behavioral health treatment, care coordination, recovery supports, family peer support, and referrals to education, vocational, and community resources through bridgeway's certified community behavioral health clinic and coalition partners. Capacity-building strategies include establishing coalition governance and administrative infrastructure; completing a community needs and resources assessment and strategic plan; implementing standardized referral and data-sharing procedures; delivering quarterly cross-sector training in mental health first aid, youth mental health first aid, question, persuade, refer (QPR), trauma-informed care, and other coalition-identified topics; strengthening post-trauma response; and supporting partner communication, performance monitoring, and continuous quality improvement. Project goals are to build a countywide behavioral health and community safety coalition, strengthen partners' capacity to identify behavioral health needs and respond to crises using trauma-informed practices, and expand coordinated referral pathways connecting youth and young adults to behavioral health, educational, vocational, and supportive services. Measurable objectives include executing coalition agreements by month 6, completing the community needs and resources assessment and strategic plan by month 9, delivering quarterly workforce training beginning in year 2, increasing coalition referrals by 15% annually over baseline, and achieving at least a 70% closed-loop referral completion rate for transition-age youth.