Vaccines, Rent Help: How King County Plans To Spend $600M In Aid

KING COUNTY, WA — King County Executive Dow Constantine transmitted a $600 million spending plan Wednesday, providing the first detailed look at how the county could allot a new influx of federal and state coronavirus aid.

Constantine's proposal accounts for $337 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan, $247 million from the state and FEMA and another $16 million from King County's general fund. The plan would invest in public health response, increase community support programs and include close to $100 million earmarked for economic recovery efforts over the next several years.

"My emergency budget continues our work saving lives and reflects my priorities to create a strong and racially-just community as we transition from response, to recovery, to rebound," Constantine said Wednesday. "By focusing on public health, community supports, and jobs and economic recovery, we will transform this crisis into an opportunity, and leverage this unprecedented investment to make a permanent and positive difference for all the people of King County."

Here is where the money would go under Constantine's plan

The $600 million framework includes more than $100 million to expand coronavirus vaccination efforts, including new mass sites, along with major investments for contact tracing and other public health efforts:

• $116 million for COVID-19 immunization efforts, including additional mass vaccination sites in addition to the existing sites in Kent and Auburn, more pop-up sites, and better scheduling software.
• $82 million for contact tracing, mobile health units and other public health work.
• $32 million to support isolation and quarantine facilities and provide hotel rooms for people who previously stayed at homeless shelters.
• $10.7 million for ongoing judicial system operations.
• $5 million for the Office of Equity and Social Justice to provide grants to community-based organizations and ethnic media.

Community support programs together make up nearly $200 million of the plan, with half going to rental assistance programs funded by the state:

• $100 million for rental assistance through a state Department of Commerce grant.
• $62.5 million emergency homeless response and related behavioral health services. Programs will include outreach, health and treatment services, housing or enhanced shelter, and economic and housing supports. One goal is to provide safe quarters for at least 500 people living outside or in vehicles in downtown Seattle and the urban unincorporated areas of the county.
• $18 million for additional behavioral health services, includes services at supportive housing sites, and mental health and treatment services targeted for youth and rural residents.
• $6 million for childcare services, including continuing funding for essential worker child care vouchers and an emergency grant program for child care providers.
• $6 million for food security, including funding a food-hub and supporting community-based organizations to purchase culturally-appropriate foods from local markets and farms and distribute it to residents.

Another $92 million is classified under the economic recovery priority, including several million in aid for arts organizations and $10 million for new construction job training programs:

• $25.6 million for a BIPOC business and economic resiliency fund.
• $20 million to support organizations in the creative economy that were hit hardest by COVID-related restrictions, these funds will help community arts, cultural, and science institutions resume operations and keep people in their jobs.
• $10.4 million to fund new construction apprenticeship and job training programs that support cities, school districts, and colleges in creating local hire programs in under-served areas throughout King County.
• $4 million to provide start-up funding for a statewide behavioral health apprenticeship program to help tackle chronic workforce issues.
• $9 million to continue small business grants in unincorporated King County and reducing backlog of permits in Department of Local Services in unincorporated King County.
• $10.8 million for 4Culture’s arts recovery fund, restoring jobs in King County’s film industry, and an event and festival restart fund.
• $1 million to create economic pathways for youth and young adults involved in gun violence.

Another part of Constantine's pitch is $40 million for a jobs program that would support 300 temporary positions for people in shelters or housing programs, creating new openings with county parks and the roads division and expanding Conservations Corps clean-up crews.

Constantine's proposal is now in the hands of the Metropolitan King County Council, which will shape the final version of the plan, beginning April 20. The remaining federal funds will be allotted in further supplemental budgets later in the year.

The ambitious spending plan comes one day after the King County Council approved a sixth supplemental budget, which includes:

• $45.2 million for rental assistance funded by Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, a $900 billion supplement to CARES Act.
• $29 million for public health response and county operations funded by reappropriation of unspent Coronavirus Relief Funds.
• $11.2 million for vaccination efforts for 60 days funded by state grants.
• $5 million to establish a revolving fund to provide upfront payment for grants to community-based organizations that cannot wait for reimbursement.
• $1.9 million to extend the JustCARE and Co-LEAD programs through the end of March.

Learn more about Constantine's budget plan on the county website.