Seattle City Council considers nearly $50 million in budget amendments for mental health, including new crisis center
Seattle TimesNov 09, 2021
Nov. 9—The Seattle City Council is considering
As housing and public safety dominate 2022 budget discussions, Councilmembers Lisa Herbold and
Most notably, the two have proposed a pair of amendments to establish and cover operational costs at a new short-term crisis center in
Strauss' amendment, co-sponsored by Herbold and Councilmember Andrew Lewis, would allocate an additional
The proposed investment would focus on crisis response, with the bulk of the money going to cover the operations of a second crisis stabilization center, similar to the existing Crisis Solutions Center operated by the
"If somebody is in crisis, they're met by the crisis response team, they're stabilized for 72 hours, and then have the opportunity to stay for up to 14 days," Strauss said in a budget committee meeting last week, calling the center his "top priority for the year."
Strauss described the center as a short-term emergency solution for mental health crises, rather than a permanent housing solution. However, he also said it would play a role in finding permanent solutions to public safety and housing issues in the city.
"Without an emergency place to stay, we're not able to intervene in the moment, and without more permanent shelter, we're not able to keep them stable," he added.
Operations for that center would account for
According to the proposed amendment, the
The current DESC facility operations are funded by
While the amendment does not cover purchasing or renovating the second facility, Herbold has introduced a separate amendment that would provide the
"This would be similar to the Crisis Solutions Center, with between 50-65 beds and staffed by a medical and nonmedical behavioral health team," Herbold said. "In addition to simply expanding the number of beds available, it would also accept referrals from a broader number of partners than is currently permitted."
"Currently the crisis solution center accepts referrals from primarily law enforcement. A new facility could accept referrals from community partners, such as Crisis Connections, meeting the goal of helping people in acute behavioral health address their needs without requiring law enforcement involvement," she added.
The facility amendment allows the department "to acquire and renovate a hotel or other facility to meet state residential treatment facility licensing standards to operate as a voluntary facility for crisis stabilization, similar to
In addition to the crisis center amendment, Herbold has introduced two smaller amendments amounting to an additional
Herbold said that in addition to helping those in crisis, the resources will help with criminal justice reform and emergency response times by removing police from wellness checks and similar calls.
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"Investments like the Mobile Crisis Team are exactly what we need to respond safely."
Herbold's other related amendments would allocate:
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Council members are expected to take final action on the budget the week of
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