King County is expanding its youth mobile crisis teams, increasing to nine teams that will travel county-wide delivering urgent, in-person help to young people and families experiencing a mental health, drug or alcohol crisis. 

Today King County announced an expansion of the mobile crisis teams available 24/7 to respond to youth mental health and substance use emergencies. The county will add seven mobile response crisis teams, bringing the total available to nine. 

Operated by the YMCA, these mobile teams support young people struggling with behavioral health crises, including conflicts at home. Mental health professionals and trained peers intervene and de-escalate crises and connect young people with support and resources. 

“When a young person is struggling, families shouldn’t have to navigate a maze of systems to get the help they need. This expansion allows for urgent, in-person behavioral health support when youth need it most,” said Executive Shannon Braddock. 

Last year, crisis teams for youth reached over 1,200 young people and families, and this number is expected to grow with additional teams now on the ground.  

“This is another step toward achieving a robust crisis response so that everyone, including young people and their families, can connect to the care and support they need,” said Kelly Rider, Director of King County Department of Community & Human Services. “We know treatment works. We just need more of it, and today we’re making that happen as we expand our youth crisis response teams.” 

“Expanding teams across King County will allow our program to continue delivering the compassionate services that we have provided to King County residents,” said Donnie Goodman, Executive Director, Behavioral Health Services, Y Social Impact Center of YMCA of Greater Seattle.  “This will ensure we have faster response times and a better understanding of the communities we serve and the services they need.”  

King County also recently expanded mobile crisis teams for adults, with 27 teams from the Downtown Emergency Service Center and Sound Behavioral Health available to de-escalate behavioral health crises and connect people to support services. 

Anyone can call or text 988 to connect with a youth or adult mobile crisis team. Help is available year-round 24/7, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. To learn more about the youth mobile crisis team expansion, read more here or watch this video. 

A New Model of Response, Centered on Families 

Before, youth and families could only get help from crisis teams if they were eligible and had the right insurance. Now, help is just a call away and no referral is required. If a caregiver or youth are in crisis and need a response, they simply need to call 988. Teams are now serving everyone in the County. 

More Teams, More Access 

King County’s system—previously limited to two teams operating from a single location—is shifting to a regional model that will include a total of nine teams working weekdays across three service areas (North/East, Central/West, and South) and six teams total working on the weekend.  

“By simplifying access and removing barriers, we are reshaping crisis response in King County.” said Susan McLaughlin, Director of King County’s Behavioral Health and Recovery Division (BHRD). “Historically, the rules for crisis response have excluded too many. Today, we’re saying every family in King County matters—and when they reach out, our system will respond. We need more mental health and substance use treatment for youth, and this shift to help more young people earlier and more often is significant progress.” 

“When youth or families call, our job is to be a compassionate listener first, then connect people with the help they need—there’s no wrong way to reach us and no wrong time to reach out,” said Michelle McDaniel, Chief Executive Officer, Crisis Connections.   

Since eligibility requirements were removed this year, more crisis teams for youth are being deployed. Early data shows that in April, there were 45 dispatches, compared to an average of 11 in prior years. In May, 39 youth and families received in-person response, nearly tripling the historical average of 14. Now, as King County expands teams for youth, this number is expected to grow even more.  

Available Resources 

Learn more about what resources are available.