Congress approves $5M for Everett’s opioid crisis, child care needs

Published 6:30 am Wednesday, April 3, 2024

EVERETT — Everett now has more than $5 million in federal dollars to improve crisis response and child care access.

Last month, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray helped secure $4.5 million for Everett to develop an alternative crisis response program to help those with mental and behavioral health needs. Murray also convinced Congress to approve $1 million for the YMCA of Snohomish County to expand its child care and early education programs.

Congress approved the money a month after Murray, with bodyguards in tow, toured the YMCA and held a fentanyl roundtable at a fire station in Everett.

Murray, a top-ranking Senate Democrat and chair of the appropriations committee, helped pass two federal spending packages last month for fiscal year 2024. The packages allocated $5.16 billion to Washington — including nearly $242 million for local projects. The money for crisis response and child care is another win for Everett, as federal legislators also passed $19 million to construct 88 homes for those stationed at the city’s Navy base.

One of the top priorities for the state — and Snohomish County — is combating opioid abuse and overdose.

Last year, fentanyl caused 226 of 300 total overdose deaths recorded in Snohomish County, according to the medical examiner’s office. In Everett, firefighters administered the opioid-reversing medication naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, nearly 600 times.

“Like many across the country, Everett is struggling with the growing crisis and the changing needs for support,” Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said in a statement.

Last year, the city stationed four social workers at the public library and fire department to help with crisis response. The city is building upon that work to develop a new team of behavioral health specialists to de-escalate and connect people in crisis to services “with the goal of long-term health and stability,” city spokesperson Simone Tarver said.

This summer, Everett also plans to launch Emergency Mobile Opioid Treatment Everett, or EMOTE, using opioid lawsuit settlement money. Under the program, a team of addiction specialists would respond to overdose calls with naloxone and other on-demand medical treatment as needed.

The goal is for Everett to provide alternative response when police, fire or emergency services are unavailable — or not the best care option.

“In some situations, involving law enforcement or EMS is not necessary or may not be the best option, but currently, those are the only options we have,” Tarver said.

The federal support for Everett is part of Murray’s effort to boost federal investments in combating opioid abuse. In total, the Senate distributed $4.6 billion for substance use disorder treatment and prevention nationwide.

“We are looking at everything from helping communities with response, to how we can have preventative services available,” Murray said at the fentanyl roundtable. “Also, how we can help stop the precursor drugs coming into our border.”

Meanwhile, the YMCA plans to use $943,000 in new federal money to raise wages and expand its early learning centers. The nonprofit has plans for new centers in Everett, Marysville, Monroe, Mukilteo and Stanwood.

“The funds will be used to further strengthen the Y’s commitment to serving Snohomish County kids and families through quality, accessible early childhood education,” YMCA spokesperson Abbey McGee said.

Most zip codes in Snohomish County are considered child care deserts, according to the state Department of Children, Youth and Families. The county and its cities have spent more than $20 million on the problem, but up to 13,000 affordable child care slots are still needed, according to Child Care Aware of Washington.

Since 2017, Murray has advocated for the Child Care for Working Families Act. The act would use federal subsidies to ensure that families pay no more than 7% of their salary on child care, that educators earn livable wages and that communities have more child care options. But the bill has died in Congress three times, and the prognosis is looking grim for the latest iteration Murray introduced last year.

“It’s a crisis for families who can’t find child care, or for the kids who are not in a safe place,” Murray said during her visit to the YMCA in February. “It’s a crisis for our businesses who can’t hire people because they don’t have any child care and they can’t come to work.”

In total, Congress allocated $1 billion in this year’s budget to child care and early learning programs nationwide.

Sydney Jackson: 425-339-3430; sydney.jackson@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @_sydneyajackson.