Barón celebrates investments in critical services, safety and more in approved $20B county budget

November 18, 2025

King County Councilmember Jorge L. Barón on Tuesday applauded passage of the King County budget for 2026 and 2027, a $20 billion plan that preserves protections and services for those in need while preparing for potential federal cuts. The budget also boosts community safety across the county and includes funding to stabilize housing and homelessness services.

“This budget is designed to provide stability to essential county services and guide our county through what promises to be a challenging two years,” Barón said. “While we've made key investments to sustain vital services, including youth homelessness programs and the justice system, our capacity to expand critical services in areas that will face increasing pressure in the coming years is limited. To navigate these challenges, collaboration with our city, state, and local partners will be essential.”

Barón, who was a member of the Budget Leadership Team, focused his work on services that meet core needs of residents, low-income immigrant and refugee communities, youth and young adults experiencing homelessness, transit safety, and addressing potential cuts in federal funding.

Key countywide investments in the budget include:

• Food security: $13 million for food banks, grants to local providers, and capital projects that will increase the reach and impact of efforts to provide healthy, nutritious foods.
• Housing: $4 million to create housing and help people stay housed, including rental assistance and early development of new housing projects in Bellevue and South Seattle.
• Immigrant and refugee resources: $1.6 million for civil legal assistance, know your rights trainings, and to expand capacity in the Office of Equity and Racial and Social Justice.
• Homelessness services: $17.2 million for shelters, tiny home villages, and youth homelessness programs, as well as a mechanism to create a reserve to mitigate the possible loss of federal funding.
• Transit: $4.1 million-plus for the Downtown Seattle Shuttle, a service review of Access Paratransit, and funding for a new diversion program partnership for people referred by Metro for safer, more accessible transit.
• Preparing for reductions in federal healthcare funds: $31 million to offset the loss of Medicaid payments to Harborview Medical Center. The budget also requires reports on the steps King County is taking to help residents retain health care coverage and the impact of Medicaid policy changes on the behavioral health system.
• Sexual assault and domestic violence services: $1.8 million for trauma care, counseling, and system coordination for survivors.
• Behavioral health: $18 million for crisis response teams, mobile care services, and culturally responsive mental health programs.
• County operations accountability through new audit capacity and operating practices, including semiannual reporting on contract management and compliance.
• Workforce development: $3.85 million for training programs in construction, green jobs, and community employment centers.

Barón also recognized community organizations serving residents of District 4 through $2.9 million in grant awards and funding to 27 organizations in the budget. These organizations serve District 4 by providing housing, nutritious foods, activities that improve health and wellness, the arts, community beautification, and more.

Those recipients are:

• Aurora Commons
• Ballard Food Bank
• Ballard Northwest Senior Center
• Belltown United
• Boys and Girls Club of King County
• Chief Seattle Club
• Compass Housing Alliance
• Edible Hope Kitchen
• FamilyWorks
• Friends of Troll's Knoll
• For All
• Green Lake Crew
• Magnolia Area Skate Park
• Mary's Place
• Partners in Print
• Phinney Neighborhood Association
• Seattle Children's Theater
• Seattle's LGBTQ+ Center
• Shared Breakfast at First United Methodist Church of Seattle
• Skate Like a Girl
• Solid Ground
• Sound Generations
• United Indians of All Tribes Foundation
• United Way
• Uplift Northwest
• Washington Health Outreach
• Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network