Mental Health millage means help for more people — and a healthier community

For nearly seven years, a local property tax millage has helped reshape how Washtenaw County residents access mental health and behavioral health services, expanding care beyond traditional clinical settings and reaching people who previously may not have qualified for publicly funded treatment.

The Community Mental Health and Public Safety Preservation Millage was approved by Washtenaw County voters in 2017 by a 2-to-1 margin, with funding first becoming available in January 2019. The millage generates roughly $5 million to $7 million annually for Washtenaw County Community Mental Health (WCCMH) and local organizations providing mental health and substance use treatment services. Since then, the investment has expanded the number of residents served while supporting crisis response, housing, youth programs, prevention efforts, and partnerships with community organizations.

For Marianne Udow-Phillips, founding executive director of the Center for Health and Research Transformation, the most significant change has been the expansion of who can access care.

“It’s really huge for just about everybody in the county,” Udow-Phillips says.

Before the millage, community mental health primarily served residents with severe behavioral health needs who were covered by Medicaid. Millage funding has allowed the agency to extend psychological, psychiatric, and crisis services to residents regardless of their ability to pay, including people with mild and moderate mental health conditions who have other forms of insurance as well as people who are uninsured. The expansion has coincided with a substantial increase in demand.

In 2018, before millage funds were available, WCCMH answered an average of 4,500 calls per month. By 2023, that figure had risen to 8,500 calls per month. During the same period, the number of adults served by community mental health increased by 147%, while the number of youths served increased by 104%. Total clients served rose from 3,874 in 2018 to 6,020 in 2023. Those numbers reflect both the growing need for behavioral healthcare and the county’s increased capacity to respond.

Udow-Phillips says the millage’s impact extends beyond the number of people receiving services. A central part of its success has been bringing behavioral health resources into places where residents already spend time.

The millage has funded 29 full-time-equivalent positions at WCCMH, representing a 15% increase in staff over five years. Roughly 91% of millage investments go toward expanding services, with the remaining 9% supporting education and prevention programs, communications, and evaluation. 

Millage funding has supported partnerships with schools and community organizations, including the Ypsilanti District Library where a library social worker has been instated to help connect library patrons with various local resources. Those partnerships create additional entry points for residents who may be uncomfortable seeking help in a traditional clinic or therapist’s office.

“Bringing services to where people go and they’re comfortable can reduce some of the stigma associated with seeking mental health care,” Udow-Phillips says.

She explains that this approach is particularly important for young people and highlights millage-funded youth services include expanded therapy in schools, programming through sports, arts and leadership activities, and crisis support for suicidal youth.

The investment also recognizes that behavioral health needs are closely connected to other challenges facing residents. Millage dollars have supported permanent, short-term, and emergency housing through local providers along with mental health and substance use support for people experiencing housing insecurity. Other funded initiatives focus on prevention and education, including efforts to reduce stigma, raise awareness of local resources, and promote early detection and treatment.

The millage also supports criminal justice reform efforts designed to address the overrepresentation of people with behavioral health concerns in the criminal legal system, including initiatives that place community mental health social workers alongside police when necessary.

The funding model has relied heavily on collaboration. Twenty-two organizations have received millage funding, including Avalon Housing, Corner Health Center, Hope Clinic, Ozone House, Packard Health, the Washtenaw County Health Department and the Washtenaw Intermediate School District.

For Udow-Phillips, that community-based approach is one of the most important lessons Washtenaw County can offer other communities considering a similar investment. She says counties should begin by asking residents what they need before deciding how millage dollars should be spent. In Washtenaw County, that process identified priorities including crisis intervention, youth services, and areas where behavioral health resources were limited. Udow-Phillips mentions how that outreach has also highlighted needs in western Washtenaw County, where rural residents living outside the county’s more densely populated areas can face isolation and significant stress.

“I really recommend any county thinking about passing a millage like this that they do outreach to find out directly from the community what the needs are of the community,” Udow-Phillips says.

She also emphasizes accountability after a millage is approved. Residents need to understand how their tax dollars are being spent and see evidence of the program’s impact.

The WCCMH Millage Advisory Committee, a 13-member community group, oversees millage activities and investments. The committee reviews funding proposals from community organizations before recommendations are forwarded to the WCCMH executive board for approval. Its meetings are open to the public and include opportunities for public comment. Udow-Phillips says that the transparent process, combined with partnerships with trusted community organizations, builds public confidence in the investment.

“Learn from your community, report back to your community, and make sure you’re collaborating with the community directly,” she says.

The people of Washtenaw County renewed the mental health millage in 2024. Those dollars will sustain the expanded network of behavioral health services built over the past seven years until 2037.

Udow-Phillips says, “I’m enormously proud of the work we’ve done, very proud of WCCMH — they’ve done a great job.”

For more information on the millage and current initiatives made possible by millage dollars, visit the county website.

Photos by Doug Coombe.
Marianne Udow-Phillips photo courtesy subject.