The Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) project aims to increase access to collaborative, coordinated, culturally relevant, community and school-based services to at-promise youth in Pomona, Claremont, and La Verne. The MHSSA project strengthens partnerships with local school districts including Pomona, Claremont, Bonita, and the School of Arts and Enterprise charter school, higher education, law enforcement, health providers, and community agencies to leverage resources that help students succeed.

Goals include:

• • • Increasing service provision for children, youth, and young adults;
    • Improving behavioral and physical health and functioning;
    • Providing person- and family-centered, trauma-informed care;
    • Maximizing behavioral health and school staff’s clinical capacity and culturally relevant competencies; and
    • Optimizing funding to facilitate clients’ positive outcomes.

Student Support Services

Request Student Support Services 

Tri-City uses MHSSA grant funds to support recovery, to assist with obtaining mental health services, and to create rapid access-to-care pipelines and linkages to resources. Staff provide mental health services in early intervention, suicide prevention, drop-out prevention, evidence-based mental health practices, and development and coordination of service plans for ongoing needs. Once a referral is submitted, staff determine appropriate level of care, tailor services to an individual’s identity, culture, and lived experience, connect with providers, and complete referrals as necessary.

Tri-City’s MHSSA project improves timely access to services for underserved and at-promise youth populations including foster youth, youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, and youth who have been expelled or suspended from school. Services and activities include:

• • • The creation of a screening tool to identify at-promise youth who could benefit from early intervention;
    • Case management; linkages to therapeutic outpatient services; prevention and early intervention;
      
    • A community-wide campaign to increase mental health awareness, reduce and end mental health stigma and discrimination;
    • Training for staff and community members to recognize signs of mental health conditions and substance use disorders, to provide initial support, and to help connect to appropriate care; and
    • Making grant funds available for partners to support associated efforts that provide increased access to mental health services.

To submit a referral for Student Support Services, please click here. 

Data and Outcomes

Information pending. 

MHSSA Sub-grant Awards

2024-25 Application Information 

In June 2023, the following organizations were selected for MHSSA sub-grant awards to support efforts that provide increased access to mental health services. 

Claremont Unified School District (Claremont USD)

Project includes culturally-relevant mentorship. Claremont USD will connect students needing Tier II/III interventions with life coaches for an intervention program.

An additional project includes mental health services and support: two part-time post-masters associate positions (one for grades K-8 and one for grades 9-12) for general education students.

Pomona Unified School District (Pomona USD)

Project includes Dr. Bruce Perry's Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics training for four Pomona USD licensed clinicians and Neurosequential Model for Education for four Student Support/Teacher Specialists each year for three years.

Just Us 4 Youth (JU4Y)

Project includes outreach, mentoring and counseling. The RES'Q program promotes student recovery through outreach and mentoring and the PACD program provides parent and teen counseling under supervision by a licensed clinical psychologist.

Cal Poly Pomona

Project includes a mental health fair within the first 4 weeks of each semester, and a mental health fund to reimburse costs for students seeking services off-campus.

The School of Arts and Enterprise

Project includes student success and wellness for 6th through 12th grades: 1) substance abuse services and resources; 2) attendance strategy; and 3) mental health awareness and services.

For more information, meeting minutes, reports and resources, visit our MHSSA Grant Project Documents page.