Department Of Behavioral Health And Developmental Disabilities

Department Of Behavioral Health And Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), Georgia's state behavioral health and developmental disability agency headquartered in Atlanta, receives federal grant funding as a prime recipient from the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and related HHS divisions. DBHDD is a child division of the State of Georgia and operates as a U.S. government entity with no federal contracting prime footprint; the agency's federal engagement is entirely grant-based.

DBHDD's federal grant portfolio centers on SAMHSA-administered behavioral health programs serving Georgia residents. The agency administers block grants and formula grants for community mental health services, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and crisis intervention, with representative awards including a $70.999 million Block Grants for Community Mental Health Services award (CFDA 93.958, October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2027), a $161.049 million Block Grants for Prevention and Treatment of Substance Abuse award (CFDA 93.959, October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2027), and a $3.439 million Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) formula grant (CFDA 93.150, September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2026). DBHDD also holds project grants for specialized initiatives, including the Georgia State Opioid Response (SOR) IV program addressing opioid use disorder treatment and prevention, the Georgia Plant Hope Project (Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Program) targeting youth ages ten to twenty-four in four high-risk counties, and the Promoting the Integration of Primary and Behavioral Health Care: Georgia (PIPBHC-GA) project serving nineteen counties in rural South Georgia through federally qualified health centers and community service boards. The agency administers developmental disability services under the Developmental Disabilities Basic Support and Advocacy Grants program (CFDA 93.630, $2.98 million, October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2027) through the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, and operates pediatric mental health care access programs and a crisis counseling program funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services. DBHDD's recent grant work also includes emergency management sub-awards related to disaster mental health and emergency protective measures, coordinated through the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.

DBHDD's top federal funding agency is SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services (44 awards documented), followed by SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (38 awards), the HHS Administration for Community Living (13 awards combined across distinct programs), the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and the Administration on Disabilities. Grant activity has grown from nine awards in 2022 to seventeen in 2024, though source data shows only one award recorded for 2026 to date. Ten awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing recompete opportunity for successor funding cycles.

DBHDD distributes federal funding to sub-recipients delivering direct services. Named sub-recipients include Valley Healthcare System Inc., a minority-owned, woman-owned nonprofit healthcare organization delivering integrated primary healthcare and mental health services to homeless and at-risk populations across Harris, Muscogee, and Talbot Counties; Caringworks, Inc. and Covenant Community, Inc., providing residential treatment services; Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, Inc., operating forensic peer mentor training and credentialing; Con-Roc Corporation and Ascensa Health, Inc., delivering semi-independent and intensive residential services; Albany Area Community Service Board; Stand Inc., supplying recovery support services; and Grady Health System in Atlanta, providing first-episode psychosis and clinical high-risk psychosis screening and treatment services. Pathways Center Community Service Board and Viewpoint Health serve as implementation partners for youth suicide prevention and clinical services. The agency also places sub-awards through the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors Inc. for technical assistance on mental health system transformation initiatives. DBHDD operates a network of twenty-two community service boards across Georgia delivering community-based recovery-oriented services and maintains a twenty-four-hour crisis and access line that serves as the base for Georgia's participation in the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and 988 suicide and crisis lifeline.