Ca. Gov. Code § 13963.1 Legislative Findings; Grants For Trauma Recovery Centers

• Library: California Codes
• Edition: 2023 Edition
• Currency: Current through the 2023 Legislative Session.
• Year: 2023
• Citation: Ca. Gov. Code § 13963.1

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) Without treatment, approximately 50 percent of people who survive a traumatic, violent injury experience lasting or extended psychological or social difficulties. Untreated psychological trauma often has severe economic consequences, including overuse of costly medical services, loss of income, failure to return to gainful employment, loss of medical insurance, and loss of stable housing.

(2) Victims of crime should receive timely and effective mental health treatment.

(3) The board shall administer a program to evaluate applications and award grants to trauma recovery centers.

(b) The board shall award a grant only to a trauma recovery center that meets all of the following criteria:

(1) The trauma recovery center demonstrates that it serves as a community resource by providing services, including, but not limited to, making presentations and providing training to law enforcement, community-based agencies, and other health care providers on the identification and effects of violent crime.

(2) Any other related criteria required by the board.

(3) The trauma recovery center uses the core elements established in Section 13963.2.

(c) It is the intent of the Legislature to provide an annual appropriation of two million dollars ($2,000,000) per year from the Restitution Fund.

(d) The board may award a grant providing funding for up to a maximum period of three years. Any portion of a grant that a trauma recovery center does not use within the specified grant period shall revert to the Restitution Fund. The board may award consecutive grants to a trauma recovery center to prevent a lapse in funding.

(e) The board, when considering grant applications, shall give preference to a trauma recovery center that conducts outreach to, and serves, both of the following:

(1) Crime victims who typically are unable to access traditional services, including, but not limited to, victims who are homeless, chronically mentally ill, of diverse ethnicity, members of immigrant and refugee groups, disabled, who have severe trauma-related symptoms or complex psychological issues, or juvenile victims, including minors who have had contact with the juvenile dependency or justice system.