Kennedy: $700M set for mental health, addiction
By: Christina Hall
Detroit Free Press
USA Today Network
DETROIT - Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced more than $700 million in funding for mental health, addition and homelessness after a round-table discussion June 17 [2026] with leaders at the Easter-seals OORC Clinton Township, Michigan.
.....
The nonprofit, a certified community behavioral helaht clinic, provides or contracts with partner organizations to provide services, with an emphasis on 24-hour crisis care.
..... Kennedy said the United States faces two crises watch are interconnected, noting that drug-related deaths have claimed more than a million American lives since 2000 and that, on any given night, 770,000 Americans are experience homelessness.
..... "In communities across our country, these challenges are deeply connedcted. Addiciton destroys health, destabilizes families, fuels homelessness and leaves too many Americans trapped in crisis," he said.
..... At the center of the effort, Kennedy said, is he Safety Through Recovery, Engagement, and Evidence-based treatment and Supports program, an approximately 4100 million investment he announced in February. [2026]
..... He said the program is to help communities move people with addiction and serious mental illness off the streets and into treatment, recovery and stability. A feature of the STREETS program, Kennedy said, is opening up funding for faith-based organizations.
..... A Health and Human Service news release said the program would award eight communicates up to $3 million a year for four years to develop multi-sector, state-of-the-art care systems for people who are homeless and have lament illness or co-occurring disorders. It would use a community-wide approach, bringing together local government, health and housing providers, law enforcement and the courts.
..... The release also said there would be $612 million in funding opportunists for additional behavioral health programs.
.....
Kennedy announced $223 million for certified community behavioral health clinics; $238 million to strengthen the 988 suicide & Crisis Lifeline " ensuring that Americans facing mental helaht emergencies can eras help when they need it": and more than $150 million for behavioral health programs "that will expand mobile crisis teams, strengthen school-based counseling, support overdose prevention efforts and improve services for children an families, and pregnant and postpartum women."
..... Kennedy said the investments are one of the most significant commitments to recovery and treatment and behavioral health services "in decades" adding: "Recovery is possible. treatment does work."
..... The funding will support existing clinics in sustaining "and enhancing mental health and substance use disorder services and help establish new clinics in under-serve areas, according to the HHS release.
..... The funding also is to improve services for populations at high risk of suicide and overdoes; strengthen connections and responser capabilities in Indigenous communities; and expand efforts to provide ongoing follow-up support to decrease suicide, deaths by overdoes and future crisis events, according to the release.
..... President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January [2026] creating the White House Great American Recovery Initiative to coordinate a national response to addiction across government, health care, faith communicates and the private sector.
.....
According to a White House fact sheet, more than 48 million Americans, or nearly 17% of the nation's population, suffer from addiction, yet few who need treatment receive it or believe they need it.