ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This article describes a public-academic collaboration between a university research center and the Texas state mental health authority to design and evaluate a unique "money follows the person" model called self-directed care (SDC). SDC programs give participants control over public funds to purchase services and supports for their own recovery. METHODS: Through a participatory action research process, the project combined use of evidence-based practice and community consensus as a tool for system change. RESULTS: The story of this effort and the program that resulted are described, along with quantitative and qualitative data from the project's start-up phase. CONCLUSIONS: Lessons learned about the importance of community collaboration are discussed in light of the current emphasis on public mental health system transformation through alternative financing mechanisms.