In 2011, California State University East Bay, CA, received a 5-year, $25 million federal
grant. The grant was given to fund the Hayward Promise Neighborhood (HPN), a place-based
initiative, which focuses on improving educational and community conditions for residents
within the Jackson Triangle neighborhood of Hayward, CA, as well as students from six target
schools placed in the area around the Jackson Triangle. A priority of the HPN initiative includes
increasing mental health services (See appendix A). While the initiative aims to increase mental
health services for youth and families within the Jackson Triangle and the six target schools, it
does not mean that service utilization will increase. Researchers believe that youth to some
extent avoid seeking mental health services due to an array of different factors including, but not
limited to, experiencing mental health stigma. The aim of this research project was therefore to
learn about factors seen by youth as barriers that prevent them from seeking help from school
and community health professionals, counselors and social workers. At the same time
researchers wanted to learn if technology could be utilized as a means to break down barriers.
The researchers additionally learned about the benefits, limitations and issues with utilizing
technology to break barriers between youth and services, from the perspectives of school and
community health professionals, counselors and social workers