CRF Downtown IMPACT

CRF Downtown IMPACT is an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program operated by CRF Behavioral Healthcare in San Diego, California. Located southeast of downtown San Diego, the program provides intensive, mobile behavioral health and supportive housing services to adults with serious mental illness who are experiencing homelessness or are at imminent risk of homelessness in San Diego's downtown and central region areas.

The ACT Model: Evidence-Based Intensive Treatment
Downtown IMPACT utilizes the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) evidence-based ACT model, which has been extensively researched and shown to significantly reduce hospitalization, incarceration, and homelessness among individuals with serious mental illness. The program operates through multidisciplinary teams that deliver more than 75 percent of services directly in the community — in clients' homes, on the streets, in shelters, and at other locations where individuals live, work, and socialize. ACT fidelity is evaluated annually by an external consultant to ensure the program maintains the highest standards of care.

Services provided through Downtown IMPACT include specialty behavioral health assessments and psychosocial rehabilitation, substance use treatment for co-occurring conditions, nursing care, psychiatric evaluation and medication management, housing placement and housing stability support, assistance with benefits and entitlements such as SSI/SSDI and Medi-Cal, education and employment services, comprehensive care coordination, and assistance with activities of daily living.

Housing-First Approach
A defining feature of Downtown IMPACT is its commitment to a housing-first philosophy. All clients are provided housing within the first week of program enrollment, recognizing that stable housing is a fundamental prerequisite for effective mental health treatment and recovery. This rapid housing placement model has proven highly effective in reducing chronic homelessness and improving treatment engagement among individuals with severe psychiatric conditions.

Eligibility and Enrollment
Downtown IMPACT serves adults ages 18 to 59 who reside in the corresponding catchment area, have a serious mental illness with functional impairments (such as inability to maintain housing, employment, or education), are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and are deemed to require ACT-level services based on the Level of Care Utilization Scale (LOCUS). The program operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with outreach services provided during evenings and weekends. After-hours support is available through a dedicated support line. Funded by the County of San Diego HHSA Behavioral Health Services, the program accepts Medi-Cal, Medicare, and uninsured clients.