Walla Walla County commissioners on July 21 approved a series of public-health and social-services agreements with state agencies and authorized county staff to sign federal Continuum of Care paperwork.

What the board approved
- Juvenile Court Block Grant (DCYF): The board approved the county program agreement to accept juvenile court block grant funds from the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) that county staff said typically fund a juvenile probation officer position; the contract carries a two-year biennial funding mechanism and the state has not yet provided exact dollar figures for the biennium.
- Evidence-based services (DCYF): The board approved a smaller DCYF contract (estimated $8,000–$11,000 per year in staff comments) to pay a contractor who provides Functional Family Therapy for a small number of families referred by juvenile court.
- School-to-Work startup (DSHS): Commissioners approved a DSHS agreement to set up a School-to-Work startup program for transition-aged students, following a planning grant and system-development work the county has already completed.
- Developmental Disabilities Administration (DSHS): The board approved the county services agreement to fund county developmental disability services and ongoing contractor payments; the vote renewed standard annual contract authority.
- Consolidated Homeless Grant (Commerce) and subawards: The board approved an interagency agreement with the Washington State Department of Commerce for consolidated homeless grant funding and authorized standard subawards to local providers, saying staff will release a request for proposals (RFP) early next year for the five-year homeless housing plan. The board also approved authorizing the director to sign the federal Continuum of Care Program grant agreement in the federal system.

Why it matters: The package maintains federal, state and county support for juvenile court services, evidence-based family therapy, developmental disability services, transition-to-work programming and the local homeless crisis response system. Commissioners discussed the uncertainty of exact state grant amounts and noted that if state funding fell short, staffing consequences could include reductions.

Board action and votes: Each action was moved, seconded and carried, typically by unanimous 3-0 vote (Fulmer, Kimball, Clayton). Commissioners asked staff to continue coordination with the Council on Housing and to bring recommended RFA priorities for the Consolidated Homeless Grant to the board.

Speakers quoted in this article are county staff and commissioners who presented the contracts and explained program operations.