For too long, communities across King County have faced barriers to getting the behavioral health care they need to support their long-term recovery. At the Department of Community & Human Services (DCHS), we are breaking the cycle through our commitment to following through, connecting people to routine mental health care and recovery supports after they are discharged from treatment in hospitals, inpatient programs, or Crisis Care Centers. New data shows efforts to connect clients of King County’s behavioral health services to outpatient care after a hospitalization are working and setting a national standard for follow-up care. The period after leaving a hospital is a … Continue reading Breaking the Cycle: Connecting People to Mental Health Care After Hospitalization
Help Shape Affordable Housing in Unincorporated King County
Want to learn how King County can create more affordable housing in unincorporated communities? We’re exploring three policy tools that could improve housing affordability and stability — and we want your input. Multifamily Housing Tax Exemption (MFTE): A program that lowers property taxes for housing developers that include affordable homes. It can apply to housing like townhomes and condos. … Continue reading Help Shape Affordable Housing in Unincorporated King County
Full Speed Ahead: How the Crisis Care Centers Levy Is Unlocking Free, 24/7 Mental Health Support for King County
Thanks to the voter-approved Crisis Care Centers (CCC) Levy, King County is expanding its services that offer immediate mental health and substance use care for people in a moment of crisis, including: Someone to Call (988) Someone to Respond In-Person (Mobile Response Crisis Teams) Somewhere to Go (Crisis Care Centers) Someone to Follow-Up (Post-Crisis Follow-Up Teams) Less than two years into implementing … Continue reading Full Speed Ahead: How the Crisis Care Centers Levy Is Unlocking Free, 24/7 Mental Health Support for King County
New Youth Mental Health Urgent Care Now Open in Kirkland
As part of the voter-approved Crisis Care Centers initiative, we are excited to share that youth behavioral health urgent care is now available at our first Crisis Care Center, Connections Kirkland—whether or not you have insurance. The Crisis Care Centers initiative is making sure everyone including children and teens have access to free 24/7 behavioral health crisis services, including: Someone to call: 988 Crisis Line Someone … Continue reading New Youth Mental Health Urgent Care Now Open in Kirkland
You know what your community needs. King County’s Equitable Development Initiative has funding to help you build it.
Across King County, communities know what they need: housing that is affordable, culturally grounded, and designed to keep people rooted in place. What’s often missing is early-stage support to turn those ideas into viable projects. King County’s Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) is addressing that gap with a new, one-time Capacity Building Grants Request for Proposals (RFP). This opportunity is designed to help community-based organizations move … Continue reading You know what your community needs. King County’s Equitable Development Initiative has funding to help you build it.
Update on King County’s Response to the Opioid Overdose Crisis
King County’s Five Priorities to Stop the Surge of Overdose Deaths were first announced in March 2024 as a coordinated cross-government response to slow the opioid overdose crisis. Over the past two years, we’ve seen a promising overall decline in overdoses in King County; fatal overdoses decreased 32% from 2023 to 2025. Nonetheless, fatal overdoses in 2025 remain elevated compared to before 2022. Working in partnership, the Department of Community and Human … Continue reading Update on King County’s Response to the Opioid Overdose Crisis