Balducci: County Budget Addresses Some of Most Pressing Needs, More Work Needed

November 19, 2024

King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci on Tuesday announced key investments and initiatives to support public safety, housing, and responses to the linked crises of mental health, substance use disorder, and homelessness as the Council approved the 2025 $10.2 billion King County budget.

“Executive Constantine transmitted a budget that invested strategically in housing, health, and safety. The Council’s adopted budget advances these strategies, supporting investments in community-driven affordable housing, youth detention and probation staffing, and continued responses to gun violence, fentanyl addiction, and safety and security on our transit system.” Balducci said. “I am particularly proud of the hard work I led, along with my colleagues Councilmembers Barón and Mosqueda, to advance a significant new investment in our critical public health system at Harborview. However, we have much more to do in the coming months as we continue to face a crisis in our criminal justice system with a looming large shortfall in the fund that supports that system."

Balducci’s amendments included:

Public safety:

• Use of the West Wing of downtown Seattle’s King County jail to provide a place for law enforcement to bring repeat misdemeanor offenders with mental illness or substance use disorders. This new alternative responds to a need identified by local law enforcement partners for a place to take people who need help, but who would otherwise face arrest and slow down responses for more urgent public safety issues;
  
• In partnership with Councilmember Jorge Barón, a technology assessment to report on the progress of installation and upgrades for safety technology in our county jails, including housing unit cameras, radios, duress alarms, and body-worn cameras, to maintain the safety of staff, visitors, attorneys, and inmates;
  
  
• Improved safety and security on transit service, including setting targets for security incidents; strategies and projected timelines to meet those targets; and identifying resources needed.

Homelessness:

• Support for YouthCare’s Constellation Center, located in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, for a three-story employment and education hub for youth and young adults from all over King County, including 84 new affordable housing units, with 15 of these new apartment homes reserved specifically for youth experiencing homelessness ($1M);
  
  
• Proposed $1.1 million to find a home for stranded tiny homes that have been built but sit in storage for lack of funding to deploy them. This funding would have put existing community was deferred for consideration as part of our final supplemental budget of the year and will be brought back for consideration again shortly.
  
  
• Proposed $1.8 million to increase funding to the King County Regional Homeless Authority’s Encampment Resolution Program, which effectively moves people off the street and into shelter and housing. Balducci said, “This is how we move people off the streets and into housing. I was disappointed that this amendment was rejected, but pleased that the Council supported my backup amendment to explore other funding sources and continue to look for ways to support this critical work.”
  

Housing:

• This budget includes continued investments in developing affordable housing, including $1.7 million for the Muslim Association of Puget Sound’s supportive housing in Redmond as part of a larger project that will include a youth community center, day care, school, and a health clinic;
  
  
• However, housing is an area that requires much more work. We know that our affordable housing providers are struggling and need support for their operations. We need to continue to pursue smart and equitable investments that put more roofs over more heads as quickly as possible. 
  

Health Care and Behavioral Health:

• The approved $10.2 billion 2025 budget also advances a proposal to fund pressing needs at Harborview Medical Center, our county hospital and only Level 1 trauma center, which provides expert, critical care to all the people of King County and indeed the state, regardless of their ability to pay. Councilmember Balducci served as a member of the leadership group that recommended the approach to fund Harborview.

 “My goal has been to make sure our budget focuses on our county’s most critical issues, and thoughtfully builds on the Executive’s proposed budget,” Balducci said. “I’m proud to have co-led negotiations to secure necessary funding for Harborview Medical Center, as well as driving initiatives forward to improve public safety, increase access to housing, and help people in homelessness move inside. We accomplished much in this budget, but have a daunting path ahead, which will require us to be creative, effective and focused on maintaining essential county services.”