In response to the growing need for communitybased
services for persons with severe mental illness, the
National Institute of Mental Health established the
Community Support Program (CSP) in 1977 (Turner and
TenHoor 1978). The primary function of CSP was to
improve the coordination of mental health services in the
community, with special emphasis on enhancing the role
of States, which had previously played a minimal role in
the deinstitutionalization movement (Shern et al. 1989).
Further involvement of the States was ensured when a
funding mechanism was established that provided block grants directly to States to improve their communitybased
mental health systems (Surles 1987).