King County Executive Dow Constantine announced $16.8 million in awards to behavioral health providers across the region — strengthening the local workforce and creating opportunities to support, retain, and recruit employees.
Today King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the county’s significant investment in the behavioral health workforce, a crucial step towards meeting the growing need for mental health and substance use care. King County is awarding $12 million to help 37 behavioral health providers support, retain, and recruit employees, strengthening the local workforce, with an additional $4.8 million to expand the SEIU Training Fund’s apprenticeship program.
Supporting behavioral health workers is a key part of the Crisis Care Centers Initiative, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2023. The initiative will invest more than $160 million over nine years in the behavioral health workforce, which has struggled to maintain staffing levels nationwide.
“Everyone working in behavioral health — crisis responders, outreach teams, peer specialists, mental health professionals, and many more — has been diligently caring for the rising number of people who need help, while simultaneously facing a workforce crisis,” said Executive Constantine. “King County is committed to supporting this critical workforce and investing in the skills and training these jobs require, because it takes people to treat people.”
Over 30 local behavioral health agencies will be awarded funding to support staff and grow their teams to better serve communities across King County. At least 25 percent of this investment will increase representation in behavioral health care.
A few examples of how this funding will make a difference include:
- YMCA: Expand education for 60 additional behavioral health staff. The program, a partnership between Heritage University and the YMCA of Greater Seattle, is designed to increase the number of behavioral health providers throughout King County and the representation of marginalized populations within the pool of providers, recruiting participants who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and/or having a disability.
- WAPI: Offer hiring incentives like intern stipends, reimbursement for professional licenses, and more professional development opportunities to reduce staff burnout, attract BIPOC individuals to enter the field, and motivate staff to remain in the behavioral health field.
- Friends of Youth: Increase employee training opportunities focused on developing skills to support transgender youth and complex clinical cases. This funding will also allow Friends of Youth to hire two new supervisors, enabling them to grow their clinical team and significantly expand their capacity to support clients.
- Ryther: Ensure staff who are supervising masters-level interns can receive a stipend for this additional work, helping improve retention. Ryther will also add an annual wellness fund for full-time staff, helping cover expenses such as fitness memberships and mental health resources.
- Seattle Indian Health Board: Increase opportunities for stipends, professional development, and clinical supervision for the behavioral health team. Workforce wellness activities rooted in Indigenous knowledge and practices will benefit the team and mitigate staff turnover through increased job satisfaction and improved employee engagement.
“There are so many opportunities to join the behavioral health workforce today and these investments make it easier for people to access paid internships, apprenticeships, and free professional development while helping prioritize workers’ overall well-being too,” said Susan McLaughlin, Director, King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division.
“Knowing how demanding this work can be, it has been a priority at Ryther to increase support for our staff members,” said Karen Brady, Executive Director and CEO, Ryther. “However, with limited dollars, we have not been able to do as much as we would like for our deserving employees. This funding allows us to offer many of the supports we have discussed but have not been able to provide. We are so appreciative of this amazing opportunity to expand benefits for our staff. Thank you!”
An investment of $4.8 million will specifically expand the SEIU Training Fund’s apprenticeship program contract. The program currently has 96 apprentices enrolled and is focused on growing the number of peer counselors, behavioral health technicians, and substance use disorder professionals.
“With King County’s financial support, we are proud and excited to provide this region’s behavioral health caregivers with unparalleled and much-deserved career growth opportunities,” said Laura Hopkins, Executive Director, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW Multi-Employer Training and Education Fund.
Workforce development is a top priority for the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS), and the Behavioral Health and Recovery Division (BHRD) and will involve a multiyear, multi-funded effort. King County is implementing strategies and investments across initiatives, including the Wage & Benefit Survey, Inflation Adjustment Policy, Medicaid rate increases, and capital improvement plans to support its entire human services workforce.
The full list of 37 agencies receiving awards:
| Asian Counseling and Referral Service |
| Atlantic Street Center |
| Catholic Community Services of King County |
| Center For Human Services |
| Children’s Home Society of Washington DBA Akin |
| ConnectionsWA, LLC |
| Consejo Counseling and Referral Service |
| Crisis Connections |
| Downtown Emergency Service Center |
| Evergreen Treatment Services |
| Friends of Youth |
| HERO House NW |
| IKRON Corporation |
| Integrative Counseling Services |
| Kent Youth & Family Services |
| King County Sexual Assault Resource Center |
| Navos |
| New Traditions |
| Peer Washington |
| Pioneer Human Services |
| Refugee Women’s Alliance |
| Ryther |
| Sea Mar Community Health Centers |
| Seattle Children’s Hospital |
| Seattle Drug & Narcotic Center, Incorporated dba Key Recovery & Life Skills Center |
| Seattle Indian Health Board |
| Seneca Family of Agencies |
| Sound |
| Southwest Youth and Family Services |
| Telecare Corporation |
| Therapeutic Health Services |
| Transitional Resources |
| Valley Cities Counseling & Consultation |
| Vashon Youth and Family Services |
| WAPI Community Services |
| YMCA of Greater Seattle |
| Youth Eastside Services |