The Shadow
RICHMOND, Va. (VR) — Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced three new grant awards that will continue to expand access to specialized crisis services for Virginians experiencing behavioral health emergencies. The funding will support the development of crisis receiving centers (CRCs) and crisis stabilization units (CSUs) across the Commonwealth. The awards are part of the $1.4 billion historic investment in Right Help, Right Now, Virginia’s transformational plan for behavioral health care.
“Every Virginian deserves to know that in a moment of crisis, help is close at hand in Virginia,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Through Right Help, Right Now, we are expanding access to specialized crisis care so that people can be connected quickly to the services they need. By investing in more crisis receiving centers and stabilization units, we are strengthening communities, easing the strain on emergency rooms and law enforcement, and ensuring that help is available when and where it is needed most.”
CRCs and CSUs are central to Virginia’s crisis services continuum, which also includes the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and mobile crisis teams. Together, these services ensure that people in crisis can get help the moment they need it. As part of Right Help, Right Now, CRCs and CSUs provide safe, community-based alternatives to hospital emergency departments and jails, connecting individuals directly to the needed level of care while easing pressure on law enforcement and hospitals.
These new investments build on more than $108 million for 19 crisis projects announced since December 2023. Previous grants have expanded crisis facilities across Virginia—from Heron’s Cove in Chesapeake to one of the largest crisis sites under development in Prince William, a new CRC and CSU in Loudoun, expanded youth services in the New River Valley, and major upgrades to Richmond’s facilities. Together, these efforts are expanding Virginia’s crisis system to better meet individuals closer to home with the level of care they need.
“Each new crisis receiving center and stabilization unit brings us closer to a behavioral health system that is even more accessible, compassionate, and effective,” said Secretary of Health and Human Resources Janet V. Kelly. “These facilities meet people in their communities, reduce unnecessary hospital visits, and connect Virginians to the right level of care from the very start. This is how we turn meaningful investment into life-changing impact.”
“Right Help, Right Now is about meeting people where they are and making sure help is available the moment it is needed,” said Hallie Pence, Executive Director of Right Help, Right Now. “These new facilities will make it possible for more Virginians to get immediate help close to home, preventing crises from escalating and connecting individuals and families to ongoing support and hope.”
“These projects represent real progress toward a crisis system that works for every Virginian,” said Nelson Smith, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS). “By expanding access to local, specialized care, we are giving people in crisis a safe place to turn and the support they need to stabilize and begin recovery. Our community services boards are key partners in making this vision a reality.”
Previous grant awards were announced in December 2023, March 2024, and October 2024. These Right Help, Right Now efforts funded out of DBHDS, will ensure same-day access to crisis care—a key pillar of the transformation.
The latest round of projects includes:
- Alleghany Highlands Community Services Board: The Alleghany Highlands CSB will receive $1 million in support of developing new CRCs and CSUs for adults and children, improving access to timely, local crisis care. This project is being established through strong partnerships with local law enforcement and other critical stakeholders. Funds will be used to support renovations of a recently purchased commercial building well-suited for community-based crisis services.
- Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board: The Fairfax-Falls Church CSB will receive $6.5 million to expand community-based crisis services in coordination with two other existing adult CSUs. With combined state and local funding, the board will open a new adult CRC and develop a separate youth site offering a CRC, CSU, and acute substance use detox and residential services—creating a more comprehensive crisis response system for all ages.
- Rappahannock Area Community Services Board: The Rappahannock Area CSB will receive $5.5 million, building on an award announced in March of 2024. Funding will support the purchase of a large new commercial property and expand the scope of the original project. In addition to a new CRC, the long-standing Sunshine Lady House adult CSU in Fredericksburg will be relocated and updated, and a youth CRC and CSU will be added—significantly increasing the region’s crisis care capacity.
Launched in December 2022, Governor Youngkin’s Right Help, Right Now plan is transforming Virginia’s outdated behavioral health care system to better support Virginians.
