Metropolitan King County Council 516 Third Ave., Rm. 1200 Seattle, WA 98104 Phone: 206-296-1000 Toll Free: 800-325-6165 TTY/TDD: 206-296-1024 Fax: 206-296-0198 council@kingcounty.gov
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Oct. 31, 2008 Veterans Day update: King County Veterans Levy investing in East King CountyEast King County has received over $1.6 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.”
“This levy supports activities that are carefully aligned with other initiatives, showing a concerted effort to maximize resources and achieve the shared objective of helping our veterans,” said Doug Hoople, a Bellevue resident and chair of the Veterans Levy Oversight Board. Hoople is a Vietnam veteran and retired naval officer. “We are excited about the fact that levy funding is being leveraged to support the St. Andrew’s Housing project in Factoria that will provide affordable housing for veterans.”
In addition to the St. Andrew’s Housing project, levy funds are helping veterans and their families in east King County by expanding the nationally recognized King County Jail Initiatives Project to assist veterans in regional jails - including Issaquah, Redmond, Kent, and Renton. The program assists veterans with employment and stable housing after they are released from jail, reducing the recidivism rate for this population to 17 percent compared to the general jail population rate of 58 percent.
Other examples of how levy funds are being used to help veterans and their families include:
• Expanding the geographic range of services available from the King County Veterans Program to increase access to basic living services like food, transportation and utilities.
• Providing supportive services to veterans in new affordable housing developments to assist them with mental illness, health problems, post traumatic stress disorder, unstable housing, and under-employment.
• Investing in services to treat depression in chronically ill and disabled elderly veterans and spouses
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