Housing, homelessness and behavioral health: Here are some of Inslee’s 2023 budget priorities
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee released his proposed 2023-25 budgets and policies Wednesday, highlighting the issues he’ll be focusing on during the upcoming legislative session, including housing and homelessness, behavioral health, and climate change.
Inslee said he believes the budget addresses “the real needs” for the state and positions the state to act with “urgency and with audacity at the scale we need to address our challenges in the state of Washington.” Despite the investments made over the last few years, he said that there are still needs that are unmet.
The governor’s proposed budget would be $70 billion over the next two years, and at the end of the 2023-25 biennium Washington’s total reserves are expected to sit at about $2.6 billion.
While the state received $14.5 billion in federal pandemic funding for multiple projects over the last couple of years, that money has mostly come to an end. Coupled with inflation and rising K-12 education costs, that leaves the state in a position where it can only fund the state’s most pressing needs, according to the governor’s office.
For the first time since the governor has been in office, part of his proposed plan to combat homelessness and increase affordable housing would need voter approval. A referendum would raise $4 billion over the next six years to rapidly increase the housing supply, under the governor’s plan.
The next biennia would see $1.3 billion of that in investments for “housing and homelessness initiatives.”
“Homelessness is a housing crisis,” Inslee said. “We do not have enough housing for the people of the state of Washington. ... We cannot fix homelessness unless we build more housing.”
Unfortunately, the governor said, the private market won’t produce the housing that Washingtonians need so the additional $4 billion is “based on a reality that this investment is necessary.”
Funding from the capital budget would increase housing supply in 2023-25 by approximately 2,200 new units, and if the referendum passes, approximately 5,300 units of housing could be added initially. An additional 19,000 housing units would be built in the next three biennia, under the referendum.
A simple majority would be needed to pass the proposal in the Legislature, followed by a simple majority of voters. The proposal would not increase property taxes, but it would instead be taken from the General Fund.
By 2044, Washington will need at least 1 million new homes to keep up with the demand, according to the governor’s office.
Housing and homelessness aren’t the only issues that will require major funding from the state this upcoming year.
Inslee’s proposed budget includes $900 million in funding for new construction at the Western State Hospital campus in Lakewood that would provide a new forensic hospital with 350 beds. Inslee called the funding for the new facility “imperative.”
“We know that the mental health challenges Washingtonians have faced have increased faster than our growth is occurring,” Inslee said.
Additionally, the governor is proposing more funding for intensive treatment services for children and youths in the 2023 legislative session. Crisis care capacity needs to be expanded, he said, and that’s part of what his plan includes.
The governor said new approaches are needed to get people into the mental health system, instead of allowing them to be swept up by the criminal justice system. Millions of dollars are spent on the criminal justice system that doesn’t repair the mental health of citizens, said Inslee, and he believes the investments will be more effective and will save taxpayers millions of dollars.
“Lawyers and lawsuits are not a solution to mental health challenges for people, mental health treatment is and we need to get folks into the mental health care system where they belong, and we intend to get that job done,” Inslee said.
Climate change is also a priority for Inslee this session.
For the first time in 2023, money will be available from the Climate Commitment Act although the money can be spent only on climate-based policies, according to the Office of Financial Management.
“So now, because we’ve sort of adopted the infrastructure, if you will, of our climate change action, now we have to focus on implementation and investment,” Inslee said. “We want to make sure Washingtonians can power their cars, and ultimately their homes, with 100% clean electricity.”
The budget also includes siting and permitting for clean energy sites around the state, he said. Tribes will be provided with funding to evaluate potential clean energy sites as well.
The governor’s budget also aims to tackle salmon protection and public safety measures.
Inslee’s proposed policies build on past years of work and reflect the same priorities he’s set for years.
Funding for the proposed budget comes partly from the capital gains tax, which is slated to go into effect in January, but is facing a number of legal challenges to prevent it from doing so.
The 105-day legislative session convenes on Jan. 9.
This story was originally published December 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Housing, homelessness and behavioral health: Here are some of Inslee’s 2023 budget priorities."
