allcove® Youth Drop-In Centers

Expanding early access to mental health care for youth between 12 and 25 years of age and their families

Integrated Mental Health for Youth

Research studies indicate that half of all mental health conditions begin by the age of 14. It is critical for California to continuously improve its system of care for youth to ensure that the help provided is both relevant and responsive. Young people rarely receive holistic services even though mental health challenges often coexist with other physical, social, and emotional problems. More than 75 percent of mental health challenges develop before a person reaches the age of 24, and early detection and treatment can significantly improve the health of adolescents as they transition to adulthood.

“We’re trying to understand and implement what youth will need and like, and what will make people feel safe and comfortable. We want a young person to know that yes, this is where you can be you and have your needs met. Everyone is working together to uplift each other’s mental health and their own, whether the need seems large or small.”

Emily W.

Youth Advisory Group Member, allcove® San Jose

Goal/Opportunity

The allcove® centers aim to increase accessibility to affordable mental health and wellness services for youth between the ages of 12 to 25 and their families, including mental health, physical health, substance use, peer support, family support, supported education and employment, and linkage to other services.

The allcove® centers provide culturally competent and relevant services for vulnerable and marginalized youth populations including, but not limited to, LGBTQ+, unhoused and Indigenous youth.

The design of these allcove® centers is youth-driven with ongoing participation from youth through the establishment of allcove® Youth Advisory Groups.

Through the theory of change, allcove works to:

  • Engage with young people and support them in connecting to services when they want them, before things get more serious, which leads to better outcomes for youth and cost savings for the community.
  • Normalize mental health, wellness and prevention as something that is important for everyone.
  • Reimagine and revolutionize mental health and wellbeing for young people.

Background

In August 2018, the Commission approved Santa Clara County’s Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Innovation Plan totaling $15 million over a four-year period to launch allcove®, an integrated mental health youth drop-in center which seeks to increase access to vital services for youth ages 12 to 25 at a location that is designed by youth and for youth. Services include mental health, physical health, substance use, supported education and employment, peer support, family support, and linkage to other services. The Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing in Stanford’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Stanford) developed allcove® with input and leadership from Santa Clara County youth which builds upon Australia’s headspace© model.

In addition, the Budget Act of 2019 included $14.6 million in one-time MHSA funding over a four-year period to support the establishment or expansion of integrated mental health youth drop-in centers and adapt allcove® statewide with a focus on vulnerable and marginalized youth and populations of youth with known disparities including, but not limited to, LGBTQ+, unhoused and Indigenous youth. The Commission was directed to develop selection criteria and a strategy for program monitoring, providing technical assistance to awardees, and evaluating project outcomes.

In January 2020, the Commission allocated $10 million for grants to expand allcove® centers and $4.6 million to contract with Stanford as the exclusive implementation support provider for allcove® to provide technical assistance to grantees and other interested counties or program providers in exploring opportunities for establishing allcove® centers in their communities.

The Commission released the allcove® RFA in February 2020 and ultimately awarded grants to the following applicants in May 2020:

  • Beach Cities Health District (Los Angeles County)
  • Peninsula Health Care District (San Mateo County)
  • Sacramento County Behavioral Health Services
  • University of California – Irvine & Wellness and Prevention Center

In December 2023, the commission awarded $11 million to six (6) new allcove™ YDCs funded through separate grant awards under the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) and awarded $4 million to the existing four allcove centers (Beach Cities, San Mateo, Sacramento, and UC Irvine) to expand their services. The commission amended the technical assistant contract with Stanford as the exclusive implementation support provider for allcove® to provide technical assistance to grantees.

The Commission released the CYBHI RFA in July 2023 and ultimately awarded grants to the following six highest scoring applicants:

  • Chinatown Service Center
  • Coastpride, Inc.
  • Pajaro Valley Community Health Trust, D.B.A. Community Health Trust of Pajaro Valley
  • Ruby’s Place
  • The Yurok Youth Center
  • Yuba County Office of Education

The Commission owns the allcove® trademark and licenses the allcove® name to counties, cities, or other local entities at no cost under terms and conditions set forth in a licensing agreement. Use of the allcove® trademark requires strict adherence to the licensing agreement. Any deviation from the licensing requirements could jeopardize the trademark application on file with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Expected Outcomes

The Commission seeks to establish allcove® centers throughout the state to provide integrated mental health services for youth 12 to 25 years of age and their families in an innovative, comprehensive, and youth-friendly way. The goal is to reach adolescents and young adults in clinical sites, at school, online, and through other venues. Key aspects of the allcove® centers include, but are not limited to:

  • Youth-informed design.
  • Addressing mild to moderate mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression, and clinical risk for psychosis.
  • Integrated youth health center for mental health, physical health, substance use, supported education and employment, peer support and family support services.
  • Accessible services that are affordable, destigmatizing, appealing to youth, and confidential.
  • Staff that includes, but is not limited to, therapists, psychiatrists, primary care providers, substance use treatment counselors, supported education and employment specialists and peer and family support specialists.
  • Focus on vulnerable and marginalized youth including, but not limited to, LGBTQ+, unhoused, and Indigenous youth.

Project Milestones

Next Steps

  1. Site Implementation Support

    The Commission, Stanford, Santa Clara County, the allcove® center grantees, and other interested entities will work collaboratively to implement the allcove® model, maintain Youth Advisory Groups to guide the ongoing service delivery strategy, and develop datacove, a standardized data collection system.

  2. Convene allcove™ Learning Community

    Stanford will facilitate statewide gatherings with interested organizations to allow for collaboration and knowledge-sharing that supports the integrity and succss of the allcove™ model program effectiveness and quality improvement efforts.

  3. Evaluate allcove™ Model

    Stanford will assess the overall performance of the allcove™ model and compare outcomes across the allcove® centers to identify successes and areas for improvement.

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