Help That Comes to You
Bonita House’s In-Home Outreach Team (IHOT) reaches adults across Alameda County who are living with serious mental illness but are not connected to care, building trust one visit at a time.
We Reach People Where Traditional Services Can't
For many people living with serious mental illness, the hardest part is taking the first step toward help. Sometimes that step never comes, not because people don’t want support, but because they have been failed by the system before, or because getting to an office feels impossible.
Our in-home mental health outreach program removes that barrier entirely. IHOT’s outreach specialists go to the places people actually are: homes, shelters, hospitals, jails, parks, and streets. Using trauma-informed, culturally responsive outreach, our team builds relationships over time, never pushing, never judging, and never requiring abstinence before offering support.
IHOT serves adults 18 and older in Alameda County who are living with serious mental illness and are not currently receiving any mental health treatment. Many of the people we serve also live with substance use disorders, housing instability, or involvement with the criminal justice system. This program was built specifically for people who fall through the cracks of traditional services.
IHOT Eligibility
Referrals are through the Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services ACCESS Program, the system-wide point of contact for information, screening, and referrals for mental health and substance use services. Bonita House provides IHOT services for clients that fit the following criteria:
- Must be a resident of Alameda County, age 18+
- Homeless, living in a shelter, in a hospital, or in a private residence, and not already participating in county services
Individuals connected to services since the program began.
Of referrals receive an initial outreach attempt within 48 hours.
At least 50% of people reached through outreach are connected to services within 90 to 180 days.
Of clients who agree to engage receive at least one service within 10 days of referral.
How to Get Started
All IHOT clients come through Alameda County Behavioral Health’s ACCESS program, the county’s central point for screening and connecting people to mental health and substance use services. Clients are referred to the ACCESS program by family members, crisis stabilization units, psychiatric emergency services, hospitals, law enforcement, jails, and other mental health providers. Here is what the process typically looks like, from first contact to beginning care.
Outreach
Once a referral comes in, our team begins outreach within 48 hours. We make phone calls, send texts, and go directly into the community to find the person and begin building a relationship.
Services
We address basic needs first, because we know that nothing else is possible until food, shelter, and safety are in place.
Warm Handoff
When clients are ready, we make warm handoffs to ongoing care providers: a face-to-face or video introduction that makes the transition feel less overwhelming.
Follow up
When clients are ready, we make warm handoffs to ongoing care providers: a face-to-face or video introduction that makes the transition feel less overwhelming.
Connect Someone to Care
Whether you are a family member, a provider, or someone reaching out on behalf of a neighbor, we make the referral process as simple as possible. Reach out today.
