Community Partner Toolkit

Advocacy makes real change

Every county in California plans for how to support people with behavioral health needs (mental health and/or substance use disorders). This is called the Community Planning Process, or CPP. Counties can’t build these plans alone. They must listen to people in the community – people like you.

Advocacy helps turn your experiences into real change. It isn’t always easy to speak up. The system can feel big, slow, or hard to change. But your voice matters more than you may think. When you share your story or your ideas, you help shape the way care looks in your county. You help make your community fairer, stronger, and more focused on what people truly need. This toolkit is here to guide you – to show how the process works and how you can take part. Inside, you’ll find tools, examples, and resources to help you get involved.

What’s inside

We designed the toolkit to help demystify the CPP and help Californians of every background participate. Inside, you’ll find:

• An acronym guide and glossary of terms
• Explanations of how the CPP works and where the money comes from
• Information about how and why to participate in the CPP
• Participation tools, like worksheets to build your comment and a notetaking guide

Spread the word

Help us share the toolkit to make sure it reaches and empowers as many Californians as possible!

• Suggested social media posts (pdf file)
• Social media graphics (zip folder)