King County Veterans Levy investing millions in South King County

South King County has received over $6 million in funding for housing and supportive services from the King County Veterans and Human Services Levy since 2006.

Area veterans have also benefited from more than $10 million in levy support for countywide veterans and humans services programs. Serving King County’s 150,000 veterans, these tax dollars have increased access to post traumatic stress disorder counseling, employment opportunities, and benefits, while reducing homelessness and recidivism rates among veterans.      In 2005, as wars in Afghanistan and Iraq increased the demand for veterans services, federal funding proved to be inadequate. In response, King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson proposed asking voters to decide whether they wanted to invest in increased veterans services. He led a 12-month effort to work with citizens and elected officials, particularly Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis, Enumclaw Mayor John Wise and Newcastle City Councilmember Sonny Putter. Subsequently, the King County Council voted 12-1 to place a veterans levy on the ballot. In November 2005, voters overwhelmingly passed the Veterans and Human Services Levy by nearly 60% of the vote.

The six-year levy taxes King County property at a rate of $0.05 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. For a $400,000 home, the cost is $20 annually, and it generates approximately $13.3 million per year. To ensure levy funds reach the intended recipients, two citizen boards oversee the expenditure of levy proceeds.

“I grew up hearing my family members talk about their military experiences, and I know, on both a personal and public policy level, that veterans deserve our support,” said Councilmember Ferguson. “Many veterans face challenges when they return home from military service, including homelessness, chemical dependency, post-traumatic stress disorder, and unemployment. The levy funds allow us to assist the veterans in our community and overcome these issues.”

“The levy is helping veterans throughout the region, but we are also seeing its benefits right here in our area,” said Auburn Mayor Pete Lewis, a Vietnam Veteran. “It is providing the kind of assistance here that we need to better care for our veterans.”

Levy funds are helping veterans and their families in south King County and countywide by:

• Increasing permanent housing with supportive services for veterans, including the Renton Regional Veterans Housing project.

• Opening a new veterans services office in Renton to provide veterans with a range of employment and training programs in south King County.

• Expanding the King County Veterans Program to increase access to basic living services like food, transportation and utilities throughout the county. For example, the new multipurpose building at Auburn’s Veterans Memorial Park hosts a satellite office for the program.

• Expanding the King County Jail Initiatives Project to assist incarcerated veterans in regional jails—including Issaquah, Auburn, Kent, Renton, Redmond and Enumclaw. The project, which was recently named one of “20 Innovations Achieving Results” by the United States Interagency Council to End Homelessness, helps veterans secure employment and stable housing after they are released, reducing the recidivism rate for this population to 17 percent compared to the general jail population rate of 58 percent.

• Providing mobile medical outreach to serve homeless veterans in the community. Services will include health screenings, episodic care for common health conditions, immunizations, and help enrolling for Medicaid or other veterans’ benefits, if eligible.