(The Center Square) — King County is expanding its youth mobile crisis teams to a total of nine teams to help young people experiencing mental health and substance use emergencies.
The teams help people in crisis across the county 24/7. They arrive on scene to de-escalate and resolve crises occurring on streets and work to connect unhoused people to supportive services throughout the county.
On Wednesday, King County Executive Shannon Braddock’s office announced seven new mobile response crisis teams dedicated to helping young people. The teams are operated by the YMCA and include mental health professionals and trained peers.
The expansion costs are covered by the voter-approved Crisis Care Centers Levy. The tax costs property owners 15 cents per $1,000 in assessed value, meaning an average King County homeowner pays approximately $130 annually toward the levy.
King County Department of Community and Human Services Communications Specialist Marc Seligson told The Center Square that the levy will provide about $2 million for mobile crisis teams expansion and is expected to contribute roughly $2.5 million annually for the duration of the levy.
Last year, youth mobile crisis teams connected over 1,200 young people and families. The county expected that number to significantly grow with seven additional teams on the ground.
“We know treatment works. We just need more of it, and today we’re making that happen as we expand our youth crisis response teams,” Community and Human Services Director Kelly Rider said in a statement.
Last December, King County’s mobile crisis teams for adults expanded to a total of 27 teams from the Downtown Emergency Service Center and Sound Behavioral Health available to de-escalate behavioral health crises and connect people to support services.
Former King County Executive Dow Constantine listed mobile crisis team expansion as one of “five priority actions” to address a surge in overdoses and to expand substance-abuse treatment in March 2024.
Through Aug. 20, there have been 600 confirmed overdoses in all of King County in 2025. Last year there were 1,044 overdose deaths, 782 of which involved fentanyl.
