Bothell staff outline $3.1M opioid settlement, YMCA behavioral-health contract and grants program

City staff presented the annual human services update to the Bothell City Council on Dec. 9, outlining how the city directs grant funding, regional partnerships and a behavioral-health services contract intended to expand local access to care.

Anand Manti Pragada, the city’s human services coordinator, told council staff have allocated up to $500,000 for a behavioral-health contract with the North Shore YMCA. The contract combines general-fund dollars and opioid-settlement funding to support two behavioral-health professionals, a benefits/resource navigator and direct aid to residents; the YMCA has appointed clinicians and is recruiting the navigator.

Pragada also said Bothell is set to receive approximately $3,100,000 from opioid settlements over the next 17 years. Staff’s spending plan groups the funds into four strategies: (1) connecting people to services through behavioral-health investments, (2) supporting first responders with equipment (handheld analyzers), (3) supporting criminal-justice-involved persons and community court needs, and (4) partnering with community organizations for school-based workshops on substance-use risk.

The city provides about $414,000 per year in human-services grants to 38 programs run by 23 organizations, a sum that Pragada said equals roughly $8 per capita according to the materials presented. Council members asked about outreach to medical providers for referrals to the Bothell Community Hub and about renewal timing for the homelessness-services interlocal agreement administered by the King County Regional Homelessness Authority; staff said the current ILA expires 12/31/2026 and will be part of 2026 work.

No council action was required; staff said they welcome questions and will return with implementation details and any required follow-up.