A street view of downtown Lafayette, Colorado, with shops, parked cars, and a tree-lined sidewalk.

Community Need

The Challenge We Face

Chances are, you know someone living with mental health or substance use challenges. In fact, most of us do. These challenges don’t discriminate, they can impact youth, adults, and whole families, no matter their age, background, identity, or culture.

Here in Boulder County:

1 in 5 residents report a depression diagnosis.
Suicide rates have risen 44% in the past two decades.
Nearly 1 in 3 suicides are among young adults (18–29).
Two-thirds of unhoused individuals live with a behavioral health disorder.
Treatment rates for Latino residents are 70% lower than for White non-Hispanic residents.

With a YES vote on Issue 1B, just 15¢ can deliver life-saving care and better outcomes for our community.

The Cost of Untreated Mental Illness

The economic and human toll of untreated mental illness in Colorado is staggering,

costing up to $10 billion each year

in lost productivity, higher healthcare costs, incarceration, and suicide.

System Under Strain

Meeting a person’s mental health and substance use needs requires a network of support systems, and this system is under threat.

Local gaps in care, Colorado’s statewide mental health crisis, and looming funding cuts all combine to make it harder for people to get the help they need, when they need it.

A medical care worker in a blue medical uniform with a stethoscope, clasping his hands and looking down, looking stressed.

Colorado's Mental Health Crisis

The challenges in Boulder County reflect a larger crisis across Colorado:

As of 2024, Colorado had the second-highest prevalence of mental illness in the nation.
More than 530,000 Coloradans struggle with depression.
1 in 4 Coloradans (1.5 million people) report poor mental health.
Colorado’s suicide rates remain well above the national average.

A close-up of an open door and a metal door handle.

Barriers to Care

Even when residents seek help, services are limited:

Fewer than 30% of providers offer specialty services.
Fewer than 20% have programs for serious mental illness.
Crisis services are not available 24/7.
Jail stays are 25% longer for individuals with mental health needs.
Many providers don’t accept Medicaid, leaving low-income families with few options.

A finger pointing at a paper with an infographic-style design with bold numbers and colorful graphs representing mental health statistics.

Rising Demand, Shrinking Funds

Cuts in Medicaid and federal safety net programs are creating more barriers:

Thousands are expected to lose Medicaid coverage.
Providers face closures and reduced services due to financial strain.
Without action, more people will go without care — driving higher costs and worse outcomes for everyone.

What Local Investment Can Do

The Evidence from the American Rescue Plan Act

When Boulder County used ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to expand behavioral health, the results were immediate and impactful. Investments supported mobile crisis response teams, centralized care navigation, and culturally responsive programs that reached youth, families, rural communities, and people often left out of traditional systems.

But ARPA was temporary, and those dollars are gone. Without a sustainable local funding source, Boulder County risks losing these vital programs and the progress they created.

Community members shared what this support meant to them:

A doctor guiding a patient’s hands as they read Braille on a sheet.

“For the first time, I feel like someone understands me.”

Two women smiling and talking in the lobby of a business, the far woman smiling and using her hands as she talks

“They made me feel safe, heard, and supported. I walked away with hope.”

A mother sitting with her two children on the couch, juggling them on her lap as she starts their iPad, smiling but with her hands full.

“I finally got what I was looking for, and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Why It Matters to the Whole County

Behavioral health isn’t just a personal issue, it impacts our entire community

In Boulder County:

1 in 7 court cases are substance-related.
Nearly 40% of behavioral health ER patients are youth and young adults (15–24).
Drug overdose ER visits are up 24% since 2019, with fentanyl involved in over half of overdose deaths.

Other communities that adopted local behavioral health taxes have seen real progress:

Improved systems of care.
Increased access for people with the highest needs.
Stronger capacity to respond to complex challenges.

Our communities deserve the same.

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Mission and Vision

Our mission is to expand access to behavioral health care in Boulder County by ensuring that every individual, regardless of age, income, or background, can receive the support they need. Through community investment, we will strengthen crisis response, prevention, treatment, and recovery services that save lives and foster healthier families, schools, and neighborhoods.

We envision a Boulder County where mental health is recognized as community health, where everyone has timely access to compassionate care, and where our collective investment builds a stronger, healthier, and more resilient community for generations to come.

A cityscape of Longmont, Colorado, with buildings, trees, and people talking underneath an art-installation of an arch.