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Two local state Assembly members have secured $5 million in the 2026-27 budget for youth mental health centers
“Youth in California are facing a serious mental health crisis, and re care and support services to young people in our community and across the state,” said Assemblymember Marc Berman, whose 23rd Assembly District includes Campbell. “These allcove centers offer a proven, community‑anchored model that serves as a trusted access point for young people.”
Berman and Assemblymember Gail Pellerin (D-Santa Cruz) worked to secure the funding for the statewide network of youth‑designed, youth‑centered mental health and wellbeing hubs, serving young people ages 12–25. These centers provide low‑barrier, walk‑in access to integrated mental health and substance use services, peer support, care coordination and school and community connections
In Berman’s district, allcove Palo Alto has served the community since June 2021 and allcove Half Moon Bay is planning to open for social engagement this summer, with mental health support launching in the fall
The funding dovetails with the $1.7 million in state funding Berman secured in 2018 to create a suicide prevention training offered to middle and high school students as well as school staff including administrators and teachers
“As a school psychiatrist, I’ve watched too many students struggle to find timely and accessible mental health support,” Shashank V. Joshi, MD, director of School Mental Health at Stanford University, said in a release. “This funding for the allcove program—born out of Stanford’s own research into what young people actually need from mental health care—gives a 12-year-old or a 22-year-old a place to walk in and be met with care, not a waitlist. This funding doesn’t just expand a program; it will also support implementation and oversight, and save young lives across California.”
