(The Center Square) – Local officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony Wednesday for the new Lake Burien Transitional Care Facility for youth.
The facility on the eastern shores of Lake Burien was built in the 1930s and was initially used as a 30-bed home for girls who became wards of the state.
Most recently the property was a treatment facility for youths with serious mental illness or behavioral concerns, but it closed in 2021 due to a lack of staffing.
Now it has reopened to serve youths with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism. as well as those who also have what are termed co-occurring conditions – that is, the coexistence of both a mental illness and a substance use disorder.
“Our mission is to support youth with complex needs with a safe and inclusive environment that fosters independence, self-advocacy and personal growth,” said Candice Pineda, executive officer for the Lake Burien Transitional Care Facility.
“It is for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders and co-occurring disorders,” said Pineda.
The new state Department of Health and Human Services-run site is a move by the state to fill the gap in services that became too large to ignore during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During that period, young people began filling up emergency rooms at children’s hospitals across the state. Others languished in hotel rooms with state workers responsible for their care, but lacking the training or resources to help.
“We’re thrilled to open this much-needed facility,” said DSHS Assistant Secretary Tonik Joseph, who oversees the Developmental Disabilities Administration. “We know with the right approach and person-centered treatment and supports we can bring these young people out of crisis.”
DSHS Secretary Jilma Meneses told those gathered at the facility Wednesday that the project came together in a hurry out of necessity.
“A little over a year ago, Secretary Ross Hunter of DCYF [Department of Children Youth and Families] says to me, ‘I have kids with multi-diagnosis in hotel rooms and our folks are not clinically trained to take care of these kids,'” Meneses explained. “So, my team and I started thinking about a treatment model for these kids.”
Meneses says she then toured Seattle Children’s Hospital and met with staff who told her they didn’t have anywhere to send some of the kids staying in hospitals for lack of transitional facilities that could care for them.
At that point, Meneses said she called MultiCare to inquire about the Lake Burien property, which was up for lease at that time.
“We had an answer,” she said.
Just months later, the state agreed to lease the property from MultiCare. DSHS has signed a lease through February 2029.
Initially, the facility will house up to 12 young people but can accommodate up to 36. The first residents will be moving in next month.
The state anticipates hiring 98 staff members including a psychiatrist, nurses and behavioral health specialists.
Employees will receive King County’s premium pay under an agreement with the Washington Federation of State Employees AFSCME Council 28.
The facility is still looking to fill a number of open positions.