King County voters approve Prop. 1 Crisis Care Centers Levy

Voters in King County have approved Prop. 1 to create five crisis care centers across the county to provide mental health and substance use disorder services.

According to King County Executive Dow Constantine, the initiative is a nine-year levy that will create a countywide network of behavioral health facilities.

The levy begins collection in 2024 and will generate more than $1.2 billion, costing the average property owner an estimated $119 per year.

"King County voters agree - we must build a stronger behavioral health system to meet the urgent and growing need for care," said Constantine. "With this strong approval, we will chart a path forward to provide the help people need and deserve." 

(Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

As of July 2022, people in King County waited an average of 44 days for a mental health residential bed. Nearly one-third of mental health residential treatment beds in the county have closed since 2018, according to the county.

"This levy is an opportunity to make major and sustained investments in the behavioral health system for youth and adults such that those experiencing a mental health emergency in King County can access treatment just as you would if you had a physical health emergency. More importantly, the levy ensures resources to prevent a crisis from occurring in the first place," said Michelle McDaniel, CEO of Crisis Connections.

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The Crisis Cares Centers levy does the following:

  • Create Five Crisis Care Centers: Distributed geographically across the county, the centers will provide walk-in access and the potential for short-term stays to help people stabilize, depending on needs, with one center specifically serving youth.
  • Preserve and Restore Residential Treatment Beds: Slow the loss of residential treatment options that provide behavioral health supportive housing or a psychiatric residential treatment bed for longer-term stays with supports.
  • Invest in the Behavioral Health Workforce: Create career pathways through apprenticeship programming and access to higher education, credentialing, training, and wrap-around supports. It will also invest in equitable wages for the workforce at crisis care centers.

The new centers will create same-day access to care and is designed to help reduce the severity of the crisis.

A person in crisis can call 988 for resources, access a walk-in clinic, move to mid-level residential treatment if necessary, and interact with expert behavioral health workers through each step.