Central Florida’s largest mental health and substance abuse provider had nearly $1.2 million cancelled overnight Tuesday by the Trump administration — part of nearly $2 billion in cuts to such services nationally.
The money provided to Aspire Health Partners was used to treat youth with mental health and substance abuse disorders, fund case management, outreach and counseling to patients with substance abuse or those living with AIDS, and to train law enforcement to respond to calls involving somebody in a mental health crisis, a spokesman for the non-profit said.
NPR reported Wednesday that administrators of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, informed providers that the cancelled programs don’t align with the administration’s goals, but they didn’t explain why.
The notices sent “shockwaves” through the country’s mental health and drug addiction systems, NPR reported.
“Aspire Health Partners received notification late last night that three of our SAMHSA-funded grants are being terminated effective immediately, as of January 13, 2026,” said Todd Dixon, Aspire’s Associate VP of Development & Community Relations. “SAMHSA stated that these grants “no longer effectuate the program goals or agency priorities.”
In recent months, the Trump Administration has moved to recast the nation’s response to homelessness services away from programs that prioritize placing somebody into stable housing, instead favoring drug and mental health treatment, temporary transitional housing and street outreach work to bring unsheltered people into services.
Martha Are, the CEO of the Homeless Services Network, said the immediate loss of funding leaves providers no time to minimize the impact of people who rely on such services.
“We are struggling to reconcile these cuts with the federal administration’s stated goal of making treatment for mental health and substance-use disorders more accessible to people experiencing homelessness,” she said in a statement. “While we are still trying to determine the full scope and impact of this decision, we do know there is already a shortage of free and low-cost treatment options for our low-income residents.”
Three grant programs at Aspire were impacted.
Under one program called TREE, which provides outpatient treatment to youth and young adults with substance abuse or mental health disorders, Aspire receives $545,000 annually. This was the third of five years funded, which has led to 146 people screened and assessed, and 54 people receiving services, Dixon said.
For its MAI program, nearly 3,000 people received outreach services, including 877 people tested for HIV or Hepatitis, 152 people receiving case management, counseling and peer support services. The program was in its fourth of five years, at $500,000 annually.
And its Crisis Intervention Training Program received $125,000 annually over the past four years, and it was due to receive money again next year. Over that period 522 law enforcement officers countywide were trained in responding to calls involving someone having a mental health crisis, along with 87 civilians – including EMS, firefighters, mental health counselors who are dispatched on some 911 calls, hospital security and Brightline security, Dixon said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.