East texas youth crisis outreach team - under the project "east texas youth crisis outreach team," andrews center will establish a regional early diversion coalition and youth crisis outreach team…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded Andrews Center $573,600 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532).

Andrews Center, a local mental health authority serving Henderson, Rains, Smith, Van Zandt, and Wood counties in East Texas, will establish a regional early diversion coalition and youth crisis outreach team to identify youth experiencing behavioral health crises, connect them to community-based services, and strengthen collaboration among behavioral health, healthcare, education, and juvenile justice partners to reduce unnecessary justice involvement and improve youth outcomes. The project will serve youth ages three to 17 experiencing behavioral health challenges or other factors that increase their risk of crisis, family disruption, or involvement with child-serving systems, including youth experiencing family instability, child welfare involvement, or school-related difficulties. The anticipated number of youth to be served in the first year is 458, with a 5% compounding annual increase over the project period; over five years, the project anticipates serving 2,531 youth.

Performance occurs in Tyler, Texas, with a period of performance running from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031. The assistance type is a Project Grant.

East texas youth crisis outreach team - under the project "east texas youth crisis outreach team," andrews center will establish a regional early diversion coalition and youth crisis outreach team (ycot) to identify youth experiencing behavioral health crises, connect them to community-based services, and strengthen collaboration among behavioral health, healthcare, education, and juvenile justice partners to reduce unnecessary justice involvement and improve youth outcomes. Andrews center, a local mental health authority (lmha) in east texas, serves the region of henderson county, texas; rains county, texas; smith county, texas; van zandt county, texas; and wood county, texas. Based on united states census estimates (as of july 1, 2026) for 2025, the populations for the five-county service area are as follows: henderson county, 88,595; rains county, 13,54; smith county, 252,549; van zandt county, 66,130; and wood county, 49,688. The total population for the five-county service area is 470,504. Anticipated number of youth to be served for the first year is 458, with a 5% compounding annual increase over the lifetime of the project. Over the 5-year period, the anticipated number of youth to be served is 2,531. In accordance with the texas health and human services (HHS) eligibility definition of the proposed ycot and related services, the planned age range for services from grant activities is youth ages three to 17 years old. [1] based on current client age distribution and community needs, the expected age distribution for the population planned to be served is approximately 1% ages 3-5, 26% ages 6-11, and 73% ages 12-17. Consistent with HHS eligibility criteria for ycot services, the proposed project will serve youth experiencing behavioral health challenges or other factors that increase their risk of crisis, family disruption, or involvement with child-serving systems. This includes youth experiencing family instability, child welfare involvement, school-related challenges, trauma exposure, emerging mental health concerns, repeated psychiatric hospitalization, risk of juvenile justice involvement prior to arrest or booking, repeated school behavioral health referrals, or eligibility for the youth empowerment services (yes) waiver. [1] strategies and interventions of the proposal include implementation of a 24-hour ycot, with complete services including behavioral health assessment, case management, evidence-based psychotherapy, family engagement and education, crisis intervention, care coordination, and referral to appropriate community-based mental health and substance use treatment services. The proposed project will build upon the smith county sequential intercept model (SIM) initiative by conducting an early diversion-focused SIM refresh to identify service gaps, strengthen referral pathways, and establish strategic priorities for implementing a coordinated regional early diversion system. Guided by the early diversion coalition, these findings will inform the implementation of a youth crisis outreach team (ycot) tailored to the five-county service area. The project aims to improve early identification, care coordination, and access to community-based behavioral health services for youth experiencing behavioral health crises, reducing unnecessary psychiatric hospitalization, emergency department utilization, and juvenile justice involvement through ycot, case management, evidence-based psychotherapy, and family engagement. Success will be measured through the number of people served, diversion rates, timely referrals to services, reductions in repeat crisis utilization, family engagement, coalition development, and satisfaction.