Dear Neighbor:
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Bob and his daughter Katie at the Evergreen Washelli Memorial Day service with Brigadier General Marcia Clark, who presided over the service, and Skip Dreps of the Veterans Memorial Cemetery Advisory Board. |
Yesterday was Memorial Day, a time when the nation honors its veterans and the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in defending our country. I had the honor to attend the annual Memorial Day commemorative service at the Evergreen Washelli Veterans Memorial Cemetery. In the spirit of the holiday, I am writing with news of a proposal to provide services to local veterans in need.
King County voters originally approved the Veterans and Human Services Levy in 2005, and overwhelmingly renewed the levy last August with nearly 70 percent approval. I authored the original levy and the recent renewal. In an article last year, the Seattle Times said, “The levy’s impact vastly exceeds the pennies a day it costs homeowners.”
Last week, Executive Dow Constantine and I announced a proposal to invest approximately $7 million from savings generated over the life of the 2006-2011 Veterans and Human Services Levy.
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Bob and his wife Colleen volunteering with their twins, Jack and Katie, to clean headstones at Evergreen Washelli Veterans Memorial Cemetery in 2010. |
The proposal addresses three struggles faced by local veterans: unemployment, mental health issues, and homelessness. Highlights include:
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$2 million for a new Aerospace and Veteran Employment Training Initiative;
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$550,000 for increased Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) treatment and military family counseling; and
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$2.3 million for veterans housing capital and services.
You can read more about our proposal here.
You can also read more about the Veterans and Human Services Levy and how it is continuing to support veterans' services countywide in an annual update I wrote about the levy that was published in this Auburn Reporter article.
Veterans can experience significant challenges transitioning back to civilian life and deserve our support. As someone who comes from a family of veterans, I know that the best way to honor the sacrifice of our veterans is to make sure there are services and help available when they need it. The Veterans and Human Services Levy is critical to helping our veterans, who selflessly serve our nation.
Thank you for your support of our veterans.
Sincerely,
Bob Ferguson
King County Councilmember, District 1
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