Who we are: The Steinberg Institute is an independent, nonprofit public policy institute dedicated to advancing sound public policy and inspiring leadership on issues of mental health and substance use. Founded by former Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, the institute aims to upend the status quo and increase the effectiveness of mental health policy-making in California.
Our impact: Since its inception in January 2015, the Steinberg Institute has helped enact sweeping improvements in California mental health policy, including securing $2 billion to provide housing and care for homeless people living with mental illness (No Place Like Home); promoting prevention and early intervention programs and research so that young people receive the care they need before their condition becomes disabling; expanding suicide prevention programs at public schools, as well as funding for college mental health services; advocating for sentencing reform and law enforcement training with the aim of decriminalizing mental illness; leading the way on implementation of the new 988 crisis line and educating elected officials and business leaders so that they embrace quality mental health care as a top-tier priority.
The challenge: Despite momentum around destigmatizing mental illness, California is still in crisis. Substance use rates have skyrocketed. Tens of thousands of people struggling with addiction and mental illness are cycling through our city streets, hospital emergency rooms and jail cells. At the same time, our behavioral health workforce is overwhelmed and understaffed, hospitals are overcrowded and our criminal justice system is dealing with a challenge it isn’t built for.
Vision 2030: Our Vision 2030 initiative addresses these challenges and has four overarching goals:
Vision 2030 will bring new research and data to the table to understand and address these challenges. Vision 2030 is our plan to come armed with information, ready to rally resources where they are needed, and ultimately have care systems in this state that are rising to the challenge and helping people. We’ll challenge assumptions, ensure transparency and provide recommendations based on solid data to fix what’s broken and rapidly scale what’s working.
Transforming California's mental health and substance use care systems through education, advocacy, accountability, and inspired leadership.
Our vision is for California to set the standards for the nation in prevention, treatment and recovery; where all people receive quality care and support when, where, and for as long as they need it.
Equity and inclusion are at the core of our work. We are painfully aware that people living with behavioral health conditions are disproportionately represented in carceral settings, on our streets and in our hospitals, facing shorter life expectancies. We strive to amplify the voices of historically underserved and marginalized communities, ensuring their needs are represented and addressed in all aspects of our work.
Organization name
Steinberg Institute
2015
Tax id (EIN)
81-4361691
Mission Category
Civil Rights, Social Action & Advocacy
Operating Budget
$1,000,001-$5 million
Organization Need
Funding: Unrestricted, Funding: Other
BIPOC Leadership
Board Chair
Local Counties Served
Sacramento, Yolo, Placer, El Dorado
Address
1121 L STREET 300CA, US