The Way We Engage Shapes What We Build
The Community Planning Process is more than voting or leaving comments at a public hearing. It is an ongoing conversation between Tri-City and the community — rooted in trust, shaped by collaboration, and driven by the people the system is meant to serve.
Real engagement looks like tours, interviews, presentations, pop-ups, and many other ways of connecting. When we make space for these conversations, the plans and programs that follow reflect real-life expertise and priorities.
Engagement Is Not
One-Size-Fits-All
Every community brings different needs, expectations, and goals. Our invitations to engage are designed to match.
Who We Partner With
Every community group comes with different needs, history, and goals. We design how we engage to meet each one where they are.
🏠
Collaborators New to Behavioral Health
Partners new to BHSA funding who bring valuable expertise in areas like housing, health, and social services.
🧮
Partners Navigating Ambiguity
Longtime MHSA-funded partners who may need support as they adapt to BHSA changes.
📣
Community Mobilizers & Connectors
Community-connected partners who bring insight, relationships, and trust — helping ensure engagement is inclusive and grounded.
☀
Community Members Eager for Progress
People who rely on or are impacted by BHSA-funded services — and want to see how decisions reflect their needs and priorities.
Three Ways We Engage
Every engagement effort falls into one of three core modes. Each one has its place, and strong community work blends them together.
💡
Inform
Help people understand the system.
Equip community members, partners, and providers with the context, language, and resources to participate meaningfully.
Pop-Up Events · Bite-Sized Media & Education
🔊
Listen
Surface lived experiences and input.
Create space for others to share needs, priorities, and ideas — slowing down and honoring different ways of expressing input.
Listening Sessions · 1:1 Interviews · Immersive Visits
🤝
Collaborate
Work together to shape solutions.
Invite community members, partners, and providers to co-create ideas, make decisions, and design programs together.
Advisory Boards · Co-Creation Workshops · Surveys
Engagement Examples
A few of the formats we use, and how each one creates a different kind of conversation.
🏗
Pop-Up Events
Informal gatherings in spaces where people already go — libraries, parks, rec centers. Builds visibility and trust through presence.
📱
Bite-Sized Media
Short, accessible content on the channels your community already uses — local radio, social media, trusted voices.
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Listening Sessions
Inclusive group settings — in person, virtual, or hybrid — designed for verbal, written, or anonymous participation.
💬
1:1 Interviews
Private conversations to capture lived experience and community wisdom that may not surface in group settings.
📚
Immersive Visits
Informal visits to real-world behavioral health settings — clinics, drop-in centers, partner-run programs — guided by people who work there.
📝
Tours, Surveys & More
From facility tours to short community surveys, we’re open to new ways of starting the conversation. Tell us what would work for your group.
Let’s Start the Conversation
Whether it’s a tour, an interview, a presentation, or a pop-up — reach out and we’ll find the best way to partner with your community.
Have a Question? Contact Paulina.
Paulina Ale
MHSA Program Coordinator – Innovation
pale@tricitymhs.org
(909) 326-4634