Seattle mayor announces $10 million mental health investment strategy

(The Center Square) – Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell is directing an initial $2 million toward violence prevention efforts in an executive order as part of a new strategy aimed at supporting youth mental health and safety. The use of the newly announced funds were guided by the city’s Innovation and Performance Team, which spent the past six months conducting interviews and focus groups to understand the region’s current state of youth mental health and where resources could make the biggest impact. A survey of 10th graders in Seattle found that 19% feel unsafe at school. Recent research from the city titled “A Student-Led Approach to Mental Health Services” identified five key insights from stakeholders and recommendations to improve prevention, early intervention, and treatment for mental health challenges. The five recommendations: improve awareness and access to the city’s existing resources; expand mental health education and early intervention training; expand enrichment programs that focus on address screen addictions/ nature deficit disorder; implement proactive screening in high schools; and expand access to therapy. The $2 million for youth mental health and safety comes after a Seattle Public Schools student was shot and killed on school grounds earlier this month. “[The] tragedy at Garfield and the trauma it has inflicted on our community further reinforces the need to protect and support our students and the most vulnerable,” Harrell said in a statement. “These investments in youth mental health and school safety deliver on these priorities and calls for action from students, families, and educators.” For the Seattle mid-year supplemental budget, Harrell intends to propose a funding allocation of up to $10 million for 2024 to begin delivering resources to support mental health and school safety. Out of the $10 million, $2.4 would go toward initial telehealth services and $2 million would go toward violence prevention. Additional funding would be used to support scaling programs based on capacity and feasibility. Harrell’s new investment strategy will begin this summer ahead of the 2024 school year. The first mental health spending priority will be the $2.4 million for telehealth therapy services. According to the city, the funding will expand access to telehealth from 80 students currently to over 2,000 as efforts are further refined and scaled.