June 21, 2023
The Honorable Chair Mike Fong
Assembly Higher Education Committee
1020 N Street, Room 173
Sacramento, California 95814
RE: Support for Senate Bill 11 (Menjivar)
Dear Assembly Member Fong,
The California Youth Empowerment Network (CAYEN) is pleased to support Senate Bill 11, which would require the trustees to comply with various requirements on mental health counseling at California State University (CSU), including having one full-time equivalent California-licensed mental health counselor per 1,500 students enrolled at each CSU campus. Additionally, the bill would establish the CSU Mental Health Professionals Act to provide one-time grants to certain CSU students to become mental health counselors in the state and prioritize hiring these grant recipients who obtain licensure.
The California Youth Empowerment Network is a youth-led statewide network comprised of TAY Action Teams and CAYEN Board members which engages, empowers and represents Transitional Age Youth (TAY), ages 15-26, in mental health advocacy on issues that directly affect TAY. Since inception in 2006, CAYEN has taken many forms of action to empower TAY in their personal lives and spark progressive change in public policy. One area of focus is to increase accessibility to mental health services and support for all TAY.
With 75% of all mental health challenges manifesting by age 24, access to mental health services are vital to TAY development. Hundreds of thousands of TAY students live in college dorms and rely on campus services, such as mental health counseling, and for many it is their only access to mental health services.
Senate Bill 11 will ensure that the mental health needs of our youth are being met by holding colleges accountable to the counselor to student ratio. In addition to expanding access to mental health services, this bill will create a pathway for students to enter the behavioral health industry. In summary, we will be able to provide youth with the mental health services they need and want while simultaneously addressing the workforce shortage in the behavioral health space.
For these reasons, we support Senate Bill 11 and ask for your “aye’ vote. If you or your staff have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at dthirakul@mhac.org or our Interim Director of Public Policy, Karen Vicari at kvicari@mhacofca.org.
In Community,
Danny Thirakul
Public Policy Coordinator
California Youth Empowerment Network
CC: Members of the Assembly Higher Education Committee
Senator Caroline Menjivar
